Something Unexpected
by troublesomefemale
Summary: Hinata just wants to prove herself. Simple as that. But when Neji begins to complicate things, she finds her goal may be much harder to reach than she had planned. HinaNeji Give me some feedback please!
1. Going Through the Motions

**okay guys this is the new and improved version of "Going Through the Motions" i hope you like it!**

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_You can't change your destiny. You're worthless…_

Hinata woke breathless, "Yes I can!" she yelled. Neji's voice rang in her head ever since the Chunin exams. Nothing she did could rid herself of these haunting dreams. But she was determined to show her true ability to her father, to Neji, and the voice that told her she would never change.

_He is wrong_, she thought, _I know I've grown and I will make ANBU, if it's the last thing I do._

With blatant determination she slid off the bed, hoping to change her gray world one step at a time. As was routine, she walked to the center of her room to do a simple set of stretches. Calming breaths cut the silence and she let her eyes roam the contents of her room. Standard sized bed against the wall opposite of the door with a nightstand, holding fresh flowers. It was important to have something brighten up the room when all the company she had was Mr. Loneliness himself. Some paintings spotted the walls, but she had no use for them when she could walk outside and see the real thing. Sitting in the corner was a rocking chair her father had given her. Always, it seemed to stare at her, whispering comments of discouragement. But her most prized possession was the team picture that had made its home on her dresser. Upon entering her room she was always greeted with the memory of happier times; when her team mates weren't as busy. The dresser was her mother's and sat opposite the window, which was at the right when entering the room.

Finishing her stretches, she got up fluidly and walked out her room into the small living room slash kitchen. It was a little cottage, but one she adored. There wasn't anything too special about it, except its isolation from the rest of the Hyuuga housing. Her yard was filled with wild flowers and a thick forest of trees in the back yard. Further into the forest was a river that she trained by almost everyday. She had requested that she separate herself from the Hyuuga complex in order to focus on her training and her father acquiesced, as long as she stayed on the property. That was fine with her. She just wanted to escape her father's disapproving looks and Neji's…well just Neji. His presence stirred up all the things she wanted to forget. Unfortunately, she wasn't able to escape him completely because he too moved further from the complex…about a five minute jog from her cottage. She was infuriated, but later found he was mostly on missions so he was hardly home.

Stepping softly she opened the sliding door to the right of her room that lead to the backyard. It was a beautiful day with zephyrs to cool off the hot atmosphere. The petals of her favorite cherry blossom tree flew with the wind or held on the branches with great perseverance. But they would come off eventually; it was only a matter of time.

Over the years Hinata had learned that her fragil got in the way of what she so wanted to be. And when missions came she could carry them out without hesitation…most of the time. When a mission called for her to end someone's life she could do it without worrying too much. Some may call that extreme, but for a Hyuuga or any serious ninja, it was necessary. In order to rid herself of such troublesome emotion, most of her time was spent away from her friends. As a result, the once consuming crush on Naruto faltered until nothing remained but a sense of friendship. Though she never really saw him, her respect for him was ever growing. He was the one who motivated her. When ever her state of mind faltered she thought of how much he had over come and it gave her strength to keep going. If her nindo was ever reached, all credit would go to him.

Stepping out further into the yard she sat under the cherry blossom tree; her favorite meditating spot. Taking in deep breaths she focused on her chakra, building and releasing it.

Her time had been devoted to training and soon, if her application was accepted, she would be training for the exams. Always last, though. Everyone had already surpassed her. But she would pursue a division that had few occupants. One that most wouldn't even consider; the ANBU tracking unit. Why not use her abilities to their fullest extent? Surely Konoha could use her Byakugon in that area.

She opened her eyes an hour later. Today was going to be important because a meeting with Tsunade awaited her. If Hinata was right, Tsunade would tell her whether or not her application had been accepted. After a quick shower, she combed her hair and put on the standard jounin uniform. Navy blue pants and shirt with the green vest. She wore her head band around her neck as usual.

Being a tracking-ninja was also the only way to show that she could change; that she had changed. It was the only way she could think of to earn the respect of her father, and grudgingly Neji. That last part was hard for her to understand, but she always wanted to prove herself to him. Especially after the battle they had during the Chunin exams.

_Maybe be he could train me, _she laughed at the idea, _right, like he would give me the time of day._

The streets of town weren't as busy, but that was fine with her. Her nerves were already firing off in her body. She wished she could take her mind off it. Thankfully, the perfect distraction began calling her name.

"Hinata!" Naruto called excitedly.

"Naruto, it's nice to see you. How have you been?" she asked, her face lightened up at the friendly greeting.

"I'm doing great Hinata! But where have you been? Nobody has seen you, for a month! Why haven't you come to the bar? You used to come all the time with Kiba and Shino." He rambled.

"Oh …well, I've been busy training. I'm applying for ANBU."

"Wow! That's great! You'll make it for sure, believe it!" He gave the nostalgic thumbs up.

She smirked at his enthusiasm. It had been a while since she had talked to the blonde ninja. His energy caught her off guard.

"Maybe then we can have some missions together like we used to."

"Yes, I would enjoy that. I've really missed having you around Naruto." She said honestly.

"All you have to do is come find me! Then we could train together," then he gave a michevious look, "Or I could buy us some ramen. But don't tell any one, or they'll want me to pay for them too," he said with grin.

"Thank you Naruto; that would be wonderful! But I have to go. Lady Hokage is waiting for me."

"Oh, granny Tsunade." His nose scrunched up, and then he gave her a peculiar look, "You know she really isn't that young, right?"

Hinata couldn't help but laugh out loud. His unintentional humor was one of the things she loved about him.

"Yes Naruto I am aware of the fact." She said smiling.

"Okay, just making sure. Well, I'll catch you around Hinata!" He turned around.

"Wait Naruto! I have a favor to ask you. Um… will you train me? I could really use some help before the ANBU exam."

"Whoa, you want me to train you? That's awesome! I have learned so much! When do you want to start?"

Hinata was relieved to hear how eager he was about it. "We can start tomorrow morning at my cottage, behind the complex."

"Perfect! I'll definitely be there. Oh and a group of us are going to the bar, you should come!"

"Oh, sure. I guess could… just for a while."

"I'll see you there!" he gave her a huge hug that surprised her at first, but she recovered and returned it. He sure had grown; almost all muscle. She could feel the power radiating off him.

_Now I can get training and great company_, she thought as they walked away from each other.

She loved that Naruto was so willing to train with her. Lately, her old squad had been busy, going on solo missions or filling for other squads.

When she reached the Hokage's office she was met with pleasing news.

"Hinata, your application for ANBU has been accepted. The exams will begin three weeks from now. Report to the ANBU building at 6:00am on the 25th of the April. Nara Shikamaru will oversee your exams. Being an ANBU captain he usually busy but having another Hyuuga join the Black Ops is too good to pass up and I want to make sure you are evaluated by one of the best. I have every confidence you'll pass these exams with flying colors. Lately your missions have been accomplished without error. I look forward to hearing the results. You'll make an excellent addition to the group."

"Thank you, Lady Hokage. I will do my best." Hinata was astounded that the Hokage regarded her so highly. "But I was wondering if I had any say in what division I will be placed in, if I pass."

"That depends on your scores. What did you have in mind?"

"I want to be part of the tracking squad. I believe that my abilities will aid Konoha in ways others can't. I know I can complete those missions thoroughly after some experience. Please consider me for the division." she said bowing slightly.

"I do think your abilities will help greatly in that area, but you didn't exactly strike me as the Hunter-ninja type. I'm sure you know a lot of burden comes with a job like that; you'd be risking a lot. I'm not convinced, however, that you know what you are getting into. Regardless, after reviewing you test scores and consulting Shikamaru I will make the best decision for Konoha. Now, I have some work that needs tending to so you're dismissed."

"Thank you Hokage Tsunade!"

Hinata had just stepped out of the office when she heard light snores coming from the sleeping Hokage.

_That was fast_, Hinata thought smirking.

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**Please leave a review! And i will continue to revise the others chapters because unfortunately they need it!! **

**thanks mates,**

**troublesomefemale**


	2. Stepping Outside the Box

**This is the new chapter two!**

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"Hey Hinata

Hinata was thrilled to finally be in reach of her goal. Though things were progressing, she had hoped for a little more time to train. Three weeks seemed too short a time to learn all that she needed. But luckily she had Naruto to help her in all the areas required. It intrigued her as to how Naruto planned to train her, then again he would probably wing it like he did everything else.

After arriving at her cottage she jumped into workout mode. Taking off her vest she headed out to the equipment she had set up in her backyard. There was only a kicking post and of course one for her gentle fist. It irked her that she still did not know the 8 trigram 64 palm or rotation. Apparently her father didn't find it fit to teach her such things.

She also had a few weights to attach to her wrists and legs in order to make her movements a fraction quicker. Speed was always a good thing to have when using the gentle fist. This kind of weight training had been picked up by the overzealous, thick eye browed pair. Though it would never make her as quick as Lee or Gai, it still helped slightly and that was enough for Hinata.

_In my case every little bit will help, _she thought with some bitterness.

Today however, she wouldn't be bothered with the weights. Instead she worked on her flexibility and agility. She preformed a series of back flips incorporated with the gentle fist style. When her body became low on chakra she switched to a different technique to still be active. Yoga. It was the perfect way to stretch and build muscles.

Sweat glistened on her skin and fell like drops from a hesitant rain shower. Twilight fell upon her as shadows crept around her, sneaking until they were no longer distinct, becoming part of the night.

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The water from her shower was soothing, relaxing the tension from her sore limbs. If only she could stay there, melting with relaxation. But it had just occurred to her the she had plans for the evening. The butterflies in her stomach fluttered a little. It had been a while since she had seen her friends. She hoped they would take her in just as they had when she was around often.

So her shower was cut short. After towel drying her hair she threw it up into a tight bun, and slipped on her Jounin shirt and pants. They were really comfortable and she wasn't trying to impress anybody.

It was a nice night, and one she would hopefully take advantage of when the bar scene ended. It was bothering her greatly. When she had finally arrived she could hear the chatter and warm light coming from inside. Already she felt intimidated.

As soon as she passed through the doors she almost turned and walked out.

_What was I thinking? Like I could blend in with these people? I hadn't seen anybody in weeks much less had any social contact!_

But Naruto was waving her down at the bar, so she couldn't leave now. The mask of confidence took over her features and the uncertainly was buried inside where no one could see. She moved calmly, on the outside, to sit next to Naruto on a bar stool.

"I'm glad you could make it. These losers were starting to bore me." He whispered loudly, indicating Shikamaru and Choji. Choji was too busy stuffing his mouth to retaliate to Naruto's comment.

"Watch it Naruto. You came over here remember?" Shikamaru said in his lazy drawl. "Hey Hinata, haven't seen you lately."

"Yea, I've been busy training-"

"YEA! Hinata's going to join ANBU; isn't that cool!" Naruto interrupted.

"I know Naruto. I'm the person who determines if she passes or not."

"Really? How did you get so important?" he asked truly surprised.

"Why you – never mind. It's too troublesome. I have to go anyway. Choji, you coming?"

"Sure, the food isn't that great anyway. Maybe we can stop somewhere."

And they left with a wave of their hands. After ordering a drink, Naruto began to discuss the plans for tomorrow and some of the missions he'd been on lately. Hinata took in the people around them. Mostly familiar faces, one in particular caught her attention. He was in the company of Lee and Tenten.

_What is Neji doing here? He must have just gotten back from a mission. None of his house lights had been on at his cottage.._

It was when he caught her eye that she realized she was staring. She quickly looked away, heat flooding her face. Unfortunately, as much as she had changed, that annoying problem still occurred. Chills ran down her back at the thought of their last battle. Since then they had never really patched things up. He had such a great dislike for her. Maybe that would change…or not.

"Hinata?" Naruto touched her shoulder.

"What? Oh, I'm sorry Naruto. I just spaced out for a second." she replied sheepishly.

"That's okay. I was just wondering if you and Neji had been getting along. He's really changed since we…well since we went after…" he trailed off. She could hear the hurt in his voice and saw his fist clench together. Things hadn't gone well during the Sasuke retrieval mission. In the end Naruto had injured Sasuke so badly he couldn't be revived, despite Tsunade's efforts to save him. Naruto had lost himself for a while. In fact his rage had been so wild it took many people to restrain him. Mostly because he started to become the terrible fox that lived inside him. But it had been six years since then, so needless to say Naruto had learned to cope. She had no doubt that Sasuke's death still haunted him in the dark recesses of his mind.

His pain hurt Hinata and she wanted to comfort him, but not in front of these people. It was best if she changed his train of thought.

"It's okay, I understand. But no we haven't been able to catch up. He's been away a lot and I just can't bring myself to talk to him."

"Oh. I hope you two can get passed it. He's opened up more. I mean of course he's still Neji, but he has more fun I think." He smiled.

"Well, well. Hyuuga Hinata, what on earth are you doing in public?" Kiba's voice, sounded behind her. She face lightened up. She turned to see Kiba with his arms open wide and Shino standing there beside him with the same stance.

"Guys!" She jumped off her stool to be grasped in tight hugs from her two friends. A wave of nostalgia rushed upon her. It was these two who had helped her become stronger and didn't baby her when they trained. She would never forget that.

"Haven't seen you, Hinata. And just why is that?" Kiba questioned playfully.

"I've been training my butt off. That's why. And it wouldn't hurt if you two came to visit every once in a while." She smiled

Both of her boys looked taken aback by her new attitude. She knew they expected a blush and some stuttering, but not anymore.

"Whoa!" laughed Naruto.

"Can we buy you a drink, Hinata?" asked Kiba amused.

"Well it's the least you can do," she said poking both he and Shino in the ribs, making them flinch. They chuckled a little while sitting down beside her.

"Why have you been training so hard?" asked Shino.

"I've been preparing myself for ANBU. I was just accepted this morning. Naruto's going to help me train." She said with a wink at her new trainer.

"Hell yes!" he yelled.

"Naruto? Are you kidding?" Kiba said incredulous.

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?!" Naruto said jumping off the stool.

"Nothing, just that maybe Hinata should have come to someone more skilled." Kiba said indicating himself.

Hinata could tell that their rivalry had not faded. Those two had always nagged at each other; both wanting to become Hokage. She hoped they would reach their goals. But their constant bickering was humorous.

The two ninja were now rolling on the floor trying to incapacitate the other.

"Boys!" Hinata yelled, trying to contain her laughter, "You two better cut that out!" They weren't listening, so she figured force was the only way. Now they were on their feet punching at each other.

"Shino, will you give me a hand."

"Of course." Bugs immediately crawled out of his pores, swarming around Naruto, capturing him in a tight hold. That was when Hinata made her move. Kiba tried to punch at Naruto, so she ducked in front of him and came up with a palm slamming into his chest. She only used enough chakra to give him a jolt. Nothing that would injure him.

Naruto was still squirming.

"Shino! Get these damn bugs off me, you idiot!" he yelled. Shino called back his bugs, letting Naruto drop to the ground.

"Are you two finished?" Hinata asked, expectantly.

"Damn, Hinata that hurt." Kiba said from the floor. When she offered her hand to help him up, he pulled her down making her squeak.

It was amazing how much fun she was having. It never occurred to her how much she truly missed being part of the gang. Maybe, that had to change. But then, maybe that had been her downfall. Too much play and no training.

"Kiba! You idiot!" Naruto, Shino, and Kiba froze with surprised looks on their faces. Apparently, she wasn't supposed to retaliate with that language. But it didn't seem to have a lasting affect on the three because they all burst out laughing.

"Hinata, what has happened to you?" asked Kiba, pulling her to her feet.

"You sure have changed, but I love it!" came Naruto's excited voice.

By then most of the bar crowd had gone back to their business, but when her gaze met Neji's there was curiosity in those silver eyes of his. She could feel the heat in her cheeks and looked swiftly away.

The four sat back at the bar drinking their drinks and chatting about nothing in particular. After an hour or so Kiba and Shino excused themselves leaving her with Naruto. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to stay longer because Kotetsu came to summon Naruto to the Hokage's office.

"Sorry Hinata. I'll see you bright and early tomorrow!"

So she sat at the bar giving herself over to her thoughts. It hadn't occurred to her that someone was behind her he spoke.

"Hello Hinata." She swerved around to find herself face to face with Hyuuga Neji.

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**Hoped you enjoyed it! Leave a review if you can! And i will continue to revise the next chapters!**

**Thanks mates,**

**troublesomefemale**


	3. Battle

**New chapter three!!**

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"N-N-Neji." Hinata stuttered.

_Oh come on! Get it together, _she thought.

With effort she was able to recover somewhat gracefully. "I haven't seen you in a while."

"I could say the same to you. I've been on a lot of missions lately. What about you?"

"Yes I've also been on missions, but I've also had to train hard. I have ANBU exams in three weeks." She said proudly.

"ANBU? Wow, I didn't think you were going in that direction."

"What? You don't think I can handle it?" She replied angrily, "You haven't changed much."

"No, that's not what I meant. I merely meant to say that I didn't take you as the ANBU type, not that you weren't capable."

"Right, like that's better. You still see me as the pathetic girl you beat down all those years ago. Well, guess what, I've changed and I want a rematch. You should see-"he silenced her with a hand to her mouth.

"Yes, I definitely see that you have changed," he said smirking, "I don't remember this side of you."

"You're gonna see more of it if you don't get your hand off my mouth!" she mumbled against his hand.

He removed his hand slowly. "Come on, I'm trying to be friendly here. Now am I going to have to restrain you again or are you going to calm down, little girl?"

"Why you-." she jumped at him, but was restrained when hands firmly grasped her arms.

"What is the problem?" Neji asked amused.

"You apparently." She grumbled.

"Hey, I didn't start this." Neji said chuckling, "But anyway, it was nice catching up with you Hinata. I'll see you around."

"You better hope you don't!" she hissed at him.

He was still smiling as he left.

_Man! The nerve of that bastard! I can't wait to…Ah! I don't even care. I just need to get out of here. _

She slid off her stool and left without a glance to anyone.

Finally she was alone with her thoughts. Which wasn't exactly a good thing, but at least she wasn't causing a scene. It was then she realized the fool she made of herself, letting her emotions get out of control. That wasn't like her. She thought of what she must have looked like. Quiet Hinata, who no one had seen for a while, explodes into a bout of rage. Oh yea, there would be talk.

So she let the cooling breeze whisk away her worries. Walking back to her cottage she began to think about the coming morning. Hopefully making the horrible ending of the night seem like a distant memory.

It only took her a second to realize who was in front of her. She decided to slow her steps. It wasn't bad to keep some distance, especially since the argument. She was sure he knew she was behind him, but was glad he didn't try to engage her.

Neji's appearance had changed greatly. It was especially evident when the moonlight hit him just right. He was much taller, and had a stronger but still sleek build. It was easy to see developed muscles, as he was in the tight ANBU uniform. Even after the years he still retained that lithe walk. She also admired his long hair, which hung loose instead of tied at the end.

They continued to walk in silence, several yards from one another. When they got passed all the main houses in the Hyuuga complex his walk slowed.

"You know I was only kidding." Neji said

"About what in particular." She responded.

"You know what."

"Humor me."

"I know you're not a little girl," he said with a smile playing on his lips, "and I understand that you have changed…for the best or the worst I'm not sure."

She was irked by that last remark. They still walked far from each other, so she didn't feel so inclined to take him on.

"Whatever, I don't care anyway."

"Right, so am I to assume that you were going to give me a hug instead of pounding me to the ground?"

She was silent.

"I didn't think so." He said assured.

"Oh shut up! You hardly know me. Don't presume to know how I feel." She said, heat flooding to her face.

"Excuse me, Lady Hinata. I shall get out of your way; I can see I bring out the worst in you. See you later." And he disappeared, with a small laugh.

_Ahhhhh! Will he never see me as an accomplished ninja?_

When she arrived home, she could practically hear the bed calling her name. So she gave in and collapsed on top of it, trying to forget the previous events.

_So this is what I get for trying to be social…_

**Please leave a review!! **

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	4. Civilized

Ok so I'm suffering from a small case of writer's block, but I was able to squeeze this one out. Hehe.

**Civilized**

The next morning Hinata woke quickly, eager to get some training in. She didn't have to wait long before a soft knock sounded at the door. She opened excitedly to find Kakashi in front of her.

"Good Morning Hinata." He greeted with a crease of his eye.

"Morning Kakashi, um are you here with Naruto?" She asked looking around him slightly.

"Actually, I'm his replacement. He's really sorry, but he was sent on a last minute mission. He stressed that I couldn't be late," he chuckled, "And since you don't know me well I figured I would save you the trouble of waiting. I hope you don't mind me training you."

"Of course not!" she said happily.

"Good. So I hear you have ANBU exams coming up. I might be able to help you with that."

"That's what I was hopping for."

"Shall we get stated?" he asked.

"Oh, yes. This way." She gestured to the back of her cottage.

They started out with some simple exercises so Kakashi could get a feel for her abilities. After hours of taking it slow he became restless and wanted to engage her in real combat.

"Okay Hinata. I'm going to push you harder. You are really breezing threw these exercises. Besides, I want to see how much you've grown. Ready?" he lifted up his head band to reveal his sharingan

"Oh yea. Byakugan!" Finally she could show someone how good she had gotten.

She took her gentle fist style. Unfortunately, Kakashi knew her technique and was able to keep out of reach of her deadly hands. Their battle raged for a long while. It was frustrating.

_Well_, she thought, _time to give him a little taste of what I've really got_.

As shuriken came flying at her she thrust her palms to each. A blade of chakra attached to her hand shot out and hit them back towards him. When they hit him he burst into a cloud of smoke.

_To bad it was a shadow clone._

It was then, that he decided to make an appearance behind her. But with the Byakugan she saw everything.

"I see you!" she turned in time to grab his wrist, and then threw him into a tree. As he was flying threw the air she realized it was just a clone.

_Crap, he distributes his chakra evenly so it's impossible to tell which one is him! Not good._

She scanned every where. And then it hit her. _He's under me!_

Just as his hand shot out of the ground she jumped into the air.

_Perfect timing! _Doing a flip through the air she landed on a tree branch.

"Well, well Hinata. You're doing quite well." Kakashi said as he resurfaced.

Her shadow clone appeared behind him with a kunai at his throat.

"Aww. I thought I was doing much better than that." She laughed. She slit his throat and he poofed into a log. Then he was behind the real her, one knife at her neck and a hand holding her arm behind her.

"Shit!" she yelled.

Kakashi let out a chuckle, "You have no idea how weird that sounds coming from you."

"Man, you're fast. I didn't have time to react even after I knew you were there." She said as he released her.

"Heh. To be honest you did great. Not many people can keep up with me, but you certainly did. I'm impressed."

"Thanks." She said almost shyly. It was a first to be told how good she was. They jumped off the branch and headed back to the house.

"If you would like I think I can manage to get some others to help you out. To pass these exams you have to be proficient in Taijutsu, genjutsu, and ninjutsu. Different people will help you learn more in each area."

"Wow. Thanks so much. I really appreciate it."

"No problem. It's good to get active. I haven't many missions lately, which is strange; I guess Tsunade has something up her sleeve for me." He smiled under the mask.

Their training had taken most of the day so Hinata asked Kakashi if she could cook him something. It was the least she could do. Unfortunately, he declined. Apparnetly he had other plans, which she speculated involved reading his Icha Icha books. After having someone to talk to, she wasn't looking forward to being alone. So she went to bed early.

"_Hinata will now be under my command. Are you sure you want that sir? Hinata is the family's successor. Missions that Genin undertake have a possibility of death." Kurenai said._

"_Do as you like with her. A defect who is even weaker than Hanabi, someone five years her junior is not needed in Hyuuga…" came the strong voice of Hiashi._

At the sound of her father's voice she shot out of her bed, "Damn you!" Her breathing was unsteady and her fists shook with rage as she paced around the room.

_Will I never be good enough?_

The next several days passed in a blur of training. Naruto still had not returned, but Kakashi was true to his word and brought others to help if they weren't busy. She learned some taijutsu from Lee and some genjutsu from Sakura. She could feel herself getting stronger everyday. And though she enjoyed the workouts, she couldn't help but notice she might be keeping others from doing what they want to do. So she stopped the training sessions and decided to do more on her own.

The night air felt good on her skin, sending chills throughout her body. The moonlight made a small path to her new training spot. She walked along the river until she faced a small waterfall.

She leapt from the river bank to a polished stone near the fall. Emitting long blades of chakra from her palms, she practiced her movements. She sliced at the water droplets around her, trying to focus on precision.

The moon shown down on her flawless skin and gave the droplets of water a diamond-like appearance. Her body moved with the grace of a goddess executing quiet and careful movements. During this hour she could free herself of the barriers she forced up during the day. Her dance told of her loneliness, anger and most of all, her determination. As the motions increased the tears she held back became impossible to stop.

Finally as her chakra began to deplete she slowed down and walked to the riverbank to rest. She wiped away the last remaining tears.

_I'm such a ninny. Why can't I ever-_ And then she heard a noise. She silently activated her Byakugon and scanned her surroundings. Someone was behind her; the fact that she recognized him made shock ring throughout her body.

"Hinata what are you doing out here?" Neji asked in a deep voice.

"I couldn't sleep, so I decided to practice my jutsu." she said nervously, "What are you doing?"

"I was taking a walk and I heard some unusual splashing sounds. So I came to investigate." He walked up beside her and sat down. "Anything I can help with?"

"No, you can't. I'm trying something new. Only I can perfect it."

"I'm pleased to hear that. I hope it works out, maybe you could show it to me some day."

"You bet I will. I still want that rematch." She smiled.

"Well let's make it sometime soon. I'm eager to see if you have changed as much as you claim." He smirked.

"Ha. The next time we fight you will look up at me from the flat of your back. I guarantee it."

"I look forward to it."

They sat in silence for a while. It wasn't awkward, but surprisingly comforting.

"If you'll excuse me Lady Hinata, I need to get going. I have an important mission tomorrow."

"Good luck." With a wave of their hands he was gone.

_See. That wasn't so bad. I can be civil._

But something inside her made her feel like she didn't want to just put up with him, she wanted his acceptance. And she would find a way to get it, one way or another.


	5. Light Hearted

**Light Hearted**

"AAAA…Chew!"

"Hinata, are you okay?" Naruto asked the next day. He had finally returned from his mission (which was successful) and was helping her train. They had decided to take a break.

"Oh nothing. Just a cold I guess." She decided to hide her late night outings. She wanted to keep them under wraps, even though she had slipped up with Neji.

"Huh, wonder how you got that. It's only been good weather here. Maybe you're a little too delicate." He said with a sly smile.

"Are you trying to say something, Naruto?" Hinata asked.

"Only that maybe you can't handle missions outside." He said, as his smile grew.

"You shut you're mouth!" She said as she jumped at him.

They fell to the ground in a bout of laughter and rolled around until finally they landed side by side.

"You know Hinata, you've gotten so strong I couldn't imagine many people being able to beat you. I could barely do it. I'm really proud. I always knew you were strong."

She was surprised to hear this coming from him and actually blushed. He really was her true role model. She turned over to hug him and he received her immediately.

"Naruto, you are one of the greatest friends I have ever had." And she meant it with all her heart.

He was really nice to have around. It would physically hurt her to lose the bond they had, but as she drifted into sleep she couldn't keep her thoughts from turning to Neji. Could he be like Naruto? She imagined him in Naruto's place and found she wouldn't have minded at all. This thought shocked her eyes open. Since when did she think of Neji like that?

A few hours later Naruto stirred waking Hinata.

"Yo, Naruto. Naruto?"

He was almost snoring, and she couldn't help but giggle at how helpless he looked.

"Naruto!" she said loudly shakin his shoulder.

"Wait…" He said sleepily, "I wanna finish my ramen…only a few left."

At this she burst into uncontrollable laughter, which woke Naruto.

"I'm gonna be late!" Naruto yelled and jumped up.

"Late for what?" Hinata said between giggles.

"Hinata? What are you…wait give me a minute. Memories are flooding back." He said confused, rubbing his head.

She looked at him grinning.

"What's wrong with you?" he asked suspiciously.

"I wanna finish my ramen…" She imitated and fell back in laughter.

"Whoa that was in my dream…" Heat rushed to his cheeks as realization crossed his face. "No…I didn't…"

"Oh yes you did!" She hadn't laughed like this in a while so she took full advantage of it.

"Awww man!" he yelled smiling.

"What's going on with you two?" asked the deep voice Hinata knew well.

"Neji!" Naruto welcomed. He walked over and they clasped forearms. "Aren't you supposed to be on a mission?"

"Just got back actually. It didn't take as long as planned. Tsunade said I could have a few days off." He looked at Hinata. "What have you been up to?"

"Just training with Naruto. My exam comes up soon."

"Oh that's right. Well maybe I could help you train. I'm can't stand lying around the house."

"Oh s-sure." She said with horror. He was going to train her? She couldn't stand to make a fool of herself in front of him. "Naurto you'll help out right?"

"Of course! Do you want to get started now? I'm ready."

"Well I'm sure Neji needs to rest. He just got back from a mission."

"How 'bout we start tomorrow morning. I need to take care of some things first." Neji said.

"Okay. Well, see you later!" Naruto bent down to give Hinata a hug before he rushed off leaving her alone with Neji.

"Hinata, I need to talk to you." Neji said looking her in the eyes.

"I thought you had things to take care of." She replied nervously.

"This is one of them." He said and took her hand leading her into the woods.


	6. Truce

**Truce**

He led her to the same spot they had met at last night. The sun was setting casting a warm glow over the water.

"Neji, what is this about?" she asked cautiously.

"First of all I want to apologize for the past we have shared. It hasn't exactly been friendly and that is mostly because of me. I also know what I'm about to say will upset you and may destroy all the progress we have made. But I feel it is of great importance."

"Well that's reassuring." She said sarcastically.

"Hinata I can't let you join the ANBU tracking unit."

"How do you know about that? I haven't told anyone except the Hokage. Are you keeping tabs on me?" She asked incredulous.

"Of course not. But Tsunade had mentioned it and would like me to train you. And I will, but I can't let you do this. I really don't think you know what you're getting yourself into. I've had some friends with the position and many haven't lived as long as the average ANBU. This division far outweighs many others…" he continued.

_I can't believe this_, Hinata thought; _who does he think he is?_

"Neji, stop!" She shouted. He closed his mouth and looked at her expectantly. "Who are you to tell me what to do? You never cared before." She said almost harshly.

"One, you are part of the main branch and don't need to get killed. Two, for the millionth time, I have changed. Until you see that I'm afraid it will be hard to get along with me."

"I…I," she was so frustrated with him she couldn't find the words to say how she felt.

_Why did he have to come off acting so responsible? Does he think I'm just going to do what he says because he's changed?_

Instead of making it worse on her part she walked away.

"Wait, Hinata." Neji said softly as he grabbed her arm.

When she felt the contact a spark ignited in her, and it didn't feel wrong. But that only angered her more. Why did she feel this way? So she twisted around and punched…nothing. Neji had ducked and that in itself urged her to continue. As he released his grip on her arm she sent a kick his way, but he had jumped away.

"This is what I want, Neji. You think I haven't thought about the consequences of becoming a tracker? Well I have and I fully intend to become one with or without your permission. Besides, would you have listened to me if you were in my position and me in yours? I think not."

"Regardless, it's my duty to protect the main branch of the family. And you, Lady Hinata, are the successor."

"I thought so too once, but I realized my mistake when I over heard my father talking to Kurenai. Hiashi told her I wasn't needed in Hyuuga!" Tears were threatening to come out, but she couldn't let them show. "You promised me a rematch, remember? I want it now." She continued.

"Be serious, Hinata. Not now." He said in a soft voice, which almost made her reconsider. But she was too determined.

"Fine. I bring it to you!"

She charged her fists with chakra and ran at him. He quickly blocked, but even as she advanced he wouldn't return attacks. This infuriated her.

"What is it Neji? Afraid you'll hurt me like last time? Poor and pathetic Hinata. Newsflash, you couldn't hurt me even if you wanted to." She smiled wildly.

She could see now that she was getting to him.

"I don't understand you…who are you?"

"Just shut up and fight me."

"As you wish, Lady Hinata." And he began to attack. But neither could land a blow. They seemed to be matched evenly.

_Finally_, she thought, _I can show him my new skills._

After they had clashed again and separated, Hinata focused her chakra. Then things started to get serious. She fought with a hate she had never had before. It wasn't entirely for Neji, but her dad also. He never appreciated her and now Neji didn't seem to either. It was tearing her up inside and any second she would break.

"Protection of the 8 trigrams, 64 palms!" she yelled. She could see the shock on Neji's face. But as she prepared to attack Neji caught her in his own jutsu.

"8 trigrams, empty palm!" he shouted.

Growing long blades of chakra from her hands she began her sorrowful, but deadly dance. Even as she sliced at him he was still able to defend himself. His jutsu allowed him to shoot out bursts of chakra and deflect the blades.

_Why isn't this working? Why can't I beat him?_

Finally her jutsu began to end and so did Neji's. And then it was quite and all they could hear was each other's breathing.

Even though she knew it would show Neji just how weak she was, she couldn't help but fall to her knees and let the tears flow free.

"Hinata." Neji said in a deep caring voice. He walked over to her and knelt down.

By this time chest heaving sobs were escaping her. Neji brushed her hair out of her face and rubbed her back.

"You were right," she said softly, looking into his eyes, "I can't change my destiny. I will always be a failure."

Before she knew it Neji lifted her into his arms. He carried her to the river and dropped her in. Hinata let out a little squeak when she hit the cold water. When she resurfaced Neji grabbed her and pulled her to stand on the ground beside him. He gave her a disapproving look.

"What are you thinking? I can't believe you would even consider that! You have gotten so far and become so strong I barely know who you are!" He was shouting quite loudly now with anger apparent in his features.

Hinata was surprised at his outburst and then she saw how much he seemed to care. But that only made her cry harder.

"Snap out of it, Hinata." He said, giving her a firm shake. "Why are you doing all this to yourself? The constant training and the completely different personality?" He looked at her expectantly. She dropped her head.

"B-Because of you," she said quietly, "I did it for your approval. I just wanted you to see what I can do and that I can be a good ninja."

Neji was taken aback by her words. He paused for a while.

"Hinata you already are a splendid ninja." He placed is hand under her chin lifting her head. "But surely you must know I don't deserve all this. You need no one's approval but your own."

He wiped away the last remaining tears on her cheeks and she gave him a look of calmness and relief.

"There she is." he smiled, "That's the Hinata I know."

"Thank you, Neji"

"No problem, Hinata. And sorry for getting you all wet." He said with amusement in his voice.

"You're forgiven and sorry for knocking you in the water."

"What-?" But before he could finish Hinata had pushed him into the river.

"Oh that was low." He said when he came back up.

"I told you you'd end up on your back!" she said giggling. She went over to him and extended her hand to help him out. But instead of pulling him out, she was pulled in.

"Neji you bastard!" she said, but it was too late, she had fallen on top of him. And he exploded into laughter.

"Man, Neji! You already got me once!"

"I still can't believe you didn't see that coming. I mean honestly, the oldest trick in the book."

"I never saw you as the trickster type. She said cautiously.

"I think Naruto has rubbed off on me."

Hinata smiled. They both made their way to the bank and laid down, exhausted.

"Neji, I still want to be a tracker ninja."

"And as I said before you don't know what your doing." He said stubbornly.

"It's not open for debate. I'm going to do what I want. It's not like Hiashi cares. And anyway they might not even accept me." She threw that last part in for his benefit.

Neji sighed in annoyance, "I suppose your right, but at least let me help you with your Byakugon. I can teach you the moves I'm not supposed to know," He smiled at her, "Like rotation and 8 trigrams, 64 palms. I can't let you get yourself killed from a lack of abilities."

"I think I would be fine on my own, but nevertheless it couldn't hurt." She agreed, "Oh and you can't tell my father yet. I want to have a division in ANBU first. That is if I make it."

"Oh you'll make it all right. And I promise not to tell your father anything. Now can we get out of these clothes? I think I feel a cold coming on." He joked.

No sooner had the words come out that Hinata realized what the words could have implied. Her face flushed automatically and she turned away. Neji didn't seem to think anything of it so she tried to play it cool.

"Sure. I guess I'll see you tomorrow with Naruto?"

"Bright and early."

They stood up and went their separate ways. Hinata couldn't help but look back, so she silently activated her Byakugon to see behind her. She saw him turn a fraction of an inch to the side. And then she realized his eyes were also puffed with chakra. Chills ran all over her and she hurried away.

_Neji was looking at me too_, she thought in shock.


	7. Tickles

Beep! Beep!

Hinata quickly shut off the alarm. Usually she woke up on her own, but now that Neji and Naruto were helping her she couldn't take any chances.

She jumped into the shower and let the water sooth away her tense muscles. The previous night had left her sore from all the fighting. And the fact that she was thrown on her butt too many times. Her body felt relaxed, but she couldn't stop her thoughts from spinning out of control.

_Neji was looking back too. Does that mean something? I mean it has to right? Wait. Why do I care? We're hardly friends. Come on Hinata._

But her resistance was futile. He was all she could think about. Finally when she couldn't take it anymore she shut off the water and dried off. Keeping herself busy helped, so she set off on another task. She messed with her hair for a while, but in the end put it in a bun. The navy blue pants and shirt felt cool on her skin. Instead of tying her head band around her neck it was tied around her head.

Her nerves were practically jumping out of her skin. She hadn't felt this way since she was younger. It didn't feel good. Especially since the reason was on his way.

The sliding door slammed shut on her way out to the back yard. It was a good day. The wind blew against her skin and the clouds covered up the sun. A perfect day. The sakura petals rained down on her face while she meditated. All unwanted thoughts were blocked during this time.

Just when she was finally settled she felt two distinct presences headed her way. Now her nerves were out of whack. Then they appeared.

"Don't you look peaceful?" Came Neji's voice. Her heart stuttered then picked up its natural rhythm. _That can't be safe_, she thought.

"Yeah! Can we join you? Naruto appeared next; making Hinata's face light up even more. She really did like him around.

"Of course, come sit!"

They came over and sat down. Naruto on the left, Neji on the right.

"So, what am I going to learn today?" Hinata asked with enthusiasm.

"Naruto and I have agreed on improving your Byakugon. I'll teach you the 8 trigrams, 64 palms. Once you get the hang of it you can practice on Naruto's clones. That way he can get some training in too."

"Sounds good…Sensei." She gave Neji a playful smile.

"Then lets go kunoichi in training." He taunted.

"Are you sure you're ok with this, Naruto. It might be a while until I need you." Hinata said. She didn't what to leave him out and she wanted him to play a bigger part so she wouldn't be completely alone with Neji. She was bound to make a fool of herself in front of him.

"Oh I'm totally okay with it! I need to work on focusing my chakra, so meditating is fine with me." He replied happily.

"Alright then, lets get started." Neji said.

First they started with some warm up exercises. Simple techniques they had both learned when they were training together as kids. Those were times they just liked each other for who they were. But those times didn't last long. Hinata thought of this while they were training. Things were better back then.

"I think we've warmed up enough so let me show you the stance for the jutsu."

It seemed easy enough. Nothing she couldn't do.

"Stand with your legs apart and bend your knees."

She complied.

"Good now lean forward and extend your left arm in front of you downward. Then extend your right arm high above you, but with an angle."

"Have I got it?" Hinata asked.

"Almost. Let me help you." Neji stood behind her and placed his hands on her hips, sending a shock through her. Then he gave them a slight twist.

"Now you're perfect." He whispered as his breath tickled her ear.

"Thanks, Neji." Her voice was low.

"No problem." She could hear the smile in his voice and she quickly walked a couple steps away. "Good job. That is exactly what should be expected of the main branch."

Hinata was caught off guard by the compliment and hastily looked away. She saw Naruto had popped out some clones and giggled at the sight. Every one of his clones including himself had fallen asleep.

"How does he do that? He keeps clones out even when he is asleep." Neji asked in awe.

"He is amazing." Hinata said admiringly.

"Didn't you have a crush on him?" Neji asked to her horror.

"Uh, what made you say that?"

"Everybody knew you liked him a lot and it was no question he liked you too."

_Enemy ground_, she thought, _Beep! Beep! Warning!_

"So were you going to teach me that jutsu now or what?"

"I thought we were past all the evasiveness by now." Neji remarked.

"We're not that friendly." Hinata looked at him from the side.

"Then lets continue," He said amused, "I'll demonstrate it for you then you can have a go."

He was absolutely magnificent. Every movement was dripping with grace and proficiency. Several times Hinata had to forcibly close her mouth to keep it from falling off completely. When he returned he had an excited look in his eyes. All that adrenaline was probably rushing through his system.

"You're turn."

"Ha-ha. I bet it's not that easy." She said suspiciously.

"You would be correct, but it won't ever get easy if you don't practice. Now go over to that tree and show him what you got." He smiled hugely.

"Fine, bossy boots."

He was chuckling as she walked away. We she arrived she took a deep breath. She transitioned into the first stance, activating the jutsu. Unfortunately it didn't go as planned. She could immediately feel when a mistake was made..

She felt hands grasp her upper arms. Neji. He pushed them forward and pulled them back. In a short time, they began to move together. Their bodies close, his voice soft in her ear.

"Thrust, thrust, excellent." His voice had such an affect on her it was impossible to completely focus on the jutsu. All she could think about was that he was touching her. Finally it ended. Neji slid his hands up her arms down her shoulder's and let go. All the while his touch left shivers in their wake.

"See that wasn't so hard, was it?"

"You have no idea." She muttered.

"What?"

"Oh nothing."

"Huh, even after all these years I can still tell you're lying," He gave a smirk, "and seeing as you can't look me in the eye tells me you're uneasy about something."

"So just what am I uneasy about if you're such a good mind reader." She said with a hint of annoyance.

"Ah, see that I can't tell you. It's out of my range of abilities but," he said with a sly smile, "I could guess."

_Uh oh, not good. Change the subject, change the subject!_

"No thank you. I'm more interested in training, than dissecting my thoughts. So if you won't help me I can find someone else."

"You're not very open are you."

"No kidding."

Neji gave a chuckle at this, "There's the new Hinata again. I do seem to bring her out, quite often. But nevertheless, I will figure you out someday."

"I wouldn't hold your breath. Anyway, are we going to get Naruto up now? I'm ready to train with him."

"Sure, you go ahead. Last time I tried…well it didn't go so well. I'll just leave it at that."

"You are such a baby." She walked away activating her Byakugon. She would never be able to tell which Naruto was the real one without it. She figured since he was sleeping the chakra wouldn't be evenly distributed. She was right, he slept silently against a tree.

"Be careful!" Neji shouted. She turned toward him and was about to reply when suddenly the ground disappeared.

"Gotcha!" Naruto yelled.

"What?! Naruto put me down!"

"Okay, you asked for it." He set her on her back and began tickling her.

"Are..y-you kidding!" she yelled between laughs, "I-I can't believe t-this!"

Never in her life had she ever wanted to laugh so much. She took full advantage of the situation. But it all ended when Naruto was thrown off by Neji.

"How dare you tickle Lady Hinata…," he yelled with a grin spreading across his face, "without letting me help!"

"You wouldn't." She said in disbelief.

"Clearly you don't know me at all." And with that he pinned her legs down with his, grabbed both arms with a hand and began tickling her. She erupted into laughter. Naruto then came back to help hold her down. The whole experience was so bizarre that Hinata couldn't think of anything remotely sane. She loved it.

"I-I can't take it anymore!"

"What do you think Neji? Should we let her go?" Naruto asked.

"Hmmm. I suppose so." he looked at Hinata, "But you'd better be on your guard."

"Okay…Sensei. Now will you get off me? My circulation is being cut off and if I'm going to be on my guard I might need it."

"You're right that might be necessary." He chuckled. He got off her and Naruto helped her up.

"Not that that wasn't fun in all, but I need to go take a shower. My muscles are killing me. Especially my stomach muscles." Hinata gave sly look.

"Okay Hinata! I'll see you tomorrow. Hey Neji, do you want to go to the bar?"

"Sure, Naruto. Remember Hinata, I'll be watching you." He gave her a small activation of the Byakugon and set off with Naruto.

Hinata practically fell right where she stood.

_What is wrong with me?_


	8. ANBU

The week carried on that way for some time. Hinata loved being around them. They always bickered with one another; but somehow found enough time to launch surprise tickle attacks on her. These attacks made her more aware of her surroundings and her level of sensitivity increased.

One morning Hinata received a message from the Hokage. It said her ANBU exams would be coming Wednesday. Two days from now. A full week before she was supposed to take them.

_Wonder why._

Hinata was frustrated and overwhelmed because of the time constraint. She had just learned the first technique Neji showed her, so she would have to train harder. But not much. She almost had it down.

Only she would have to do it by herself. In the letter it also said that Neji and Naruto were sent off on other missions.

So she carried on her original routine. Hinata found it somewhat boring when she had to fight a tree instead of advanced ninja. The day passed slowly and finally darkness spread over head. Though sleep came easily, she woke up several times. Panic spread throughout her when ever she thought of Naruto and Neji on their missions. She hoped they weren't in too much danger. But when Neji came to mind other feelings made themselves known.

She got an unsettling thrill whenever she thought of how he touched her during the training. He was always so soft with her. Well, there's only so soft one can be when battling, but he found a very discreet way of doing it. And she absolutely loved it. Some times his touch felt more like a caress, sending her heart flying. That little reaction was quite annoying to her, especially when he was close enough to feel its sporadic beats.

These thoughts comforted her and soon she was fast asleep in Neji's imaginary arms.

The rain pattered against the cottage as Hinata got ready for the exam. As if the exam wasn't hard enough it decided to rain. Slipping on her Jounin attire, she thought of how great it would be to change her style a little. It made her smile.

She pulled her hair back into a bun and headed to the ANBU building. When she arrived she was greeted with a familiar face.

"Yo." Shikamaru greeted.

"Hello Shikamaru. Lovely weather, no?" she joked.

"I know, this is such a drag." He said, then apologetically, "I would change the day, but we are kind of on a tight schedule."

"No problem." She said with a smile.

"Okay then Hinata. Let me tell you what's going to happen. The exam will be separated into three parts. First is the taijutsu section. In this area I want to see how you can handle yourself if ninjutsu and genjutsu are unavailable. Next, is ninjutsu. And finally genjutsu. You will be able to cast 4 of your own and try to release 4 cast by someone else. Afterwards, when you pass," He gave her a wink, "you will have to take a placement test. Any questions?"

"No…sir." She added the last part for his benefit. He noticed and shared a smile with her.

"Alright. Your first opponent will be Amari. He has been ANBU for about 7 months."

He led the way outside to the training grounds. The rain still beat hard against them. Amari arrived a second later. He went over to shake Hinata's wrist, wished her luck and took his stance. Hinata took her gentle fist style.

"Now remember, no ninjutsu, genjutsu or dojutsu. Of course this means no Byakugon, Hinata."

"I'll be just fine without it." It would certainly be difficult to use gentle fist without being able to see his chakra points, but she would find a way to win.

Shikamaru smirked. It was weird to see her so confident, "Glad to hear it. Begin!"

The battle raged on for a long time. A couple times she was sure she was beat, but always managed to get out of the situation. She was getting tired. The battle needed to end soon. Her chance came when Amari left a side open. Her hand jabbed forward and hit the opening. He released a gasp, falling backward.

"Stop the match!" yelled Shikamaru. "Well done Hinata." They helped Amari to the hospital. She had hurt him bad with that last blow.

"Now for round two," said Shikamaru after they returned to the training ground, "Your next opponent will be Kino."

And on it went. This particular battle didn't last long now that Hinata could use her Byakugon. Her gentle fist style was unstoppable.

It was the genjutsu that really made her uncomfortable. She was fine with casting them and was able to hold 3 of the 4. When it was her turn to release them she was unprepared for the last one. So far she had released the first three, but the last brought her to tears.

It was her mother. Hinata hadn't really known her mother that well but she did remember a secure feeling when she thought of her.

She was calling to Hinata through a dense fog. But no matter how hard she ran, it was impossible to find her mother

Then finally it was released. She hit the ground, tears streaming down her face. She cried hard and muttered over and over, "I couldn't find her. I couldn't find her."

"Damn." She heard Shikamaru say. "I knew I recognized that hand sign. That was a low blow, Hasho."

He bent down to Hinata, patting her back. "Shhhh. It will pass." Shikamaru had never seen so many different sides to Hinata as long as he'd known her. It made him feel helpless knowing he couldn't do anything to comfort her.

"I'm fine Shikamaru." Hinata said softly, "Really. So did I pass?"

"With flying colors. Congratulations. Welcome to ANBU." He smiled at her as he helped her up. He could see she was feeling better. "Why don't you go wash up? Afterwards you can meet me in room 23."

"Okay." She was glad to know she could clean up. She felt like shit and probably smelled like it too.

An assistant led her to the wash rooms. She cleaned fast then found room 23. It was a lounge. Shikamaru was talking to some others when she entered.

"Yo, Hinata. You ready?" Shikamaru asked. She thought some of the people he was talking to gave her sympathetic looks.

"Yes." She replied as happily as she could. When they got outside Hinata whacked Shikamaru on the head.

"Hey what was that for!?" He asked rubbing his head.

"For telling them about me breaking down like a baby."

"Oh, you caught that huh? Sorry. But it really doesn't matter. Most of those people had the same jutsu pulled on them and they cried too."

"Really? In that case, sorry for hitting you"

"Yeah whatever." He brushed it off. "

"Shikamaru?" She thought she'd just slip this in while she could.

"Yes?"

"I was hoping you would consider me for the tracking unit."

"Yeah, Tsunade said you might mention that. Why would you want that? It's not a job most ANBU want."

"I think my abilities could be put to better use if in that area than in any other. Plus, I know there aren't many in that division. I'm sure you could use me there."

"I can see you've thought this through. And you're right on many points. Let me think about it. I would like to see your scores before I make a decision. Remember it's really up to the Hokage."

"Yea I got it. Thanks."

After taking the test she was given the required tattoo and a new uniform. A cool little perk was that each member of ANBU got to design their own mask. Shikamaru left her to converse with the Hokage.

"So Shikamaru, what do you think?" Tsunade asked after he reported Hinata's statement.

"She seems to have passion for it, but I don't know if she can handle it. On the other hand, she is built for the position. Especially with that Byakugon. Also her test scores said she _could_ be in that section."

"Hm. We will let her try it. But strictly C level tracking. She will need a lot of experience. Is Genma busy? I want to assign him to Hinata."

"Nah, he's probably sitting on his ass right now. This will be good for him too."

"Good. Send Hinata in."

"Hinata you can come now." Came Shikamarus voice.

Hinata rose and followed him inside the office.

"After reviewing your scores and abilities we have decided to place you in the tracker division." Tsunade said.

Hinata was caught off guard. She didn't really think she could get in. But now that she had she was nervous and most of all excited. She smiled brightly.

"Thank you Hokage Tsunade. Shikamaru. I will do my best."

"Good. First you will start with C rank missions. I have assigned Shiranui Genma to be your sensei. And, of course, as your skills improve you will be given higher rank missions. Understand?"

"Yes, Hokage."

"Genma will be at your house tomorrow morning."

The first month passed full of intense training and no word from Naruto or Neji. It gave Hinata an unsettling feeling, but she couldn't let that get in her way. Konoha depended on her to be the best she could.

Another month passed.

"Hinata, take him, now." Genma's voice told her through an ear piece.

Hinata was above the target. She took a deep breath, then appeared behind the man with a kunai at his throat.

"Don't move." Unfortunately that didn't work; he disappeared from in front of her. She saw him come at her from behind with her Byakugon. In a quick motion she ducked. Then, releasing a long blade of chakra stabbed the man in the stomach and kicked his feet out from under him.

"I said don't move." The man was on the ground coughing up blood.

"Damn Hinata. You give me chills every time you do that. You are so hot." Genma said jumping down from a tree, looking her up and down.

Hinata smiled. He always said that. And to her surprise actually meant it.

"Well, they never listen to me. What else can I do?"

"We need to get him back for interrogation. Ibiki will be pissed if he dies." Genma bent down to pick up the man. "You are getting really good Hinata. This was a B rank mission. I'll see if Tsunade will move us up a level. Before you know it you'll be doing missions by yourself."

Hinata gave a chuckle, "Without you Genma? I couldn't."

"You know I could always come over and help you with, uh new techniques." He smiled.

Hinata blushed. He made her do that often. She didn't know what to say half the time, so she gave a wink.

When they returned to Konoha they dropped off the ninja and headed to Tsunade.

"Another success. I suppose you want to move up to a higher level?" They nodded, "In that case you're A rank now. I'll have a new assignment shortly. You're dismissed."

"So Hinata, you want to go to the bar? It's a nice night." Genma said as they left the building.

"Why not?" She smiled.

"Exactly."

When they entered the bar they were almost alone. It must have been later than Hinata guessed. They sat at a table until their drinks came. It was then Hinata noticed the figure in the corner. As soon as he rose she could see he was wearing an ANBU mask He walked passed the table and left through the door. Something was familiar about that walk but she couldn't be sure. She wanted to know who that was though.

"Yo, Genma. I need to go so I'll catch up with you later. Thanks for the drink." She left in a hurry. Luckily, Genma had his eye on the female bartender, so he didn't seem to mind.

The person was walking at a leisurely pace. Though it would have been easier to just go talk to him, she followed him silently, slipping on her lioness mask. She noticed they were headed to the Hyuuga complex. When they entered she appeared in front of him, her hand on the katana on her back.

"Who are you?"

"So you are a tracker. I didn't even know you were there until about 5 minutes ago." He removed his mask. Hinata grew excited, but that diminished when the face of her father was revealed.

"Father? What are you doing in an ANBU outfit?" She asked, removing her own mask.

"Tsunade asked me to do a special mission for her. Why didn't you tell me you had passed the exams? Not only that, but become a tracker?"

"I wasn't ready."

"You should have. Then I could have fixed this mistake. Have you any idea what your death could do to the main branch?"

"Are you kidding?" She asked in anger. "Do you not remember what you told Kurenai all those years ago?"

He was quiet for a moment, "You know how weak you were then…" Hinata couldn't believe her ears.

"I don't feel like talking." And with that she disappeared.

After she got to the cottage the tears came out and so did her rage. She flipped over tables and destroyed the rocking chair her father gave her. After she was done she stormed out of the house to train near the water.


	9. Mission

**Sorry I took so long guys. I know this is short but I didn't want to screw up the scene with crap. I've been super busy lately. Things should get back to normal when Christmas break comes. Thanks mates.**

The droplets of water cooled her skin, melting the anger inside. What a mess she was in. She would never be accepted by her father, not to mention she was trying to solve the puzzle that was Neji. Hinata hadn't quiet figured out her feelings on that topic. But she did know she missed him, missed him a lot.

She shut off the water, dressed in her ANBU uniform and headed to Tsunade's office. The Hokage had summoned her for a mission.

"Hinata I have an A rank for you. This will be your first A rank alone-"

"But Lady Hokage, I have never had an A rank! How could I do one on my own?"

"As you know things are getting hostile with the cloud ninja. Most ANBU are at the borders. Genma has other obligations. I talked to him about it and we both think you can handle it."

"I understand."

"Your mission is to retrieve an escaped ninja from one of our high security prisons. Full details are in the scroll." She indicated the one in front of Hinata on the desk. "You'll have to be careful with this one. He is a specialist in genjutsu. Thankfully we have attained all the information needed from him, so terminate him on site. He is only a dangerous nuisance now."

Hinata was fine with that. It meant less work for her.

"Yes ma'am."

"Good, you're dismissed."

Hinata made a move to leave but was stopped.

"Hinata, it's possible you may come across cloud ninja. I know they came after you before, when you were younger. I wouldn't put it past them to try again if they recognized you."

"Yes Hokage Tsunade."

"Dismissed." With a hand sign Hinata disappeared.

Her thoughts were drawn to that night so many years ago when she was kidnapped. The night they killed her uncle, Hizashi. She hated to think of what Neji had to endure. Maybe she could have handled it better, if her father had been killed instead.

On the way to her house she looked over the scroll. Her target was Yocanoshi Shikaru. He left the village many years ago for power. It seemed that was the only reason people ever left the village. His profile stated he had some dealings with the Akatsuki and has sent more than 20 ninja to rehab or the afterlife.

_Definitely need to watch out for this guy._

She packed in a trance, her thoughts bounding all over the place. She hoped it would be a piece of cake, but with her luck it would be far more complicated.

The stars shown bright, winking at her with ominous intent. Her stomach was practically ripping itself apart as she neared the gates leading out of Konoha. Just as she was about to take off someone cleared their throat.

"Genma? What are you doing here?"

"Just came to wish my girl good luck. Sorry I can't go with you, but I know you can handle this on your own." He said a toothpick bobbing in his mouth. "Plus, I needed to give you something." He said lightly, holding a pouch out to her.

Hinata took the gift and opened it to find it full of senbon. Each one had intricate engravings on them. She was surprised when the urge to cry came over her. No one had ever given anything like this to her.

All she could do was look at Genma until finally she lept forward embracing him in a tight hug.

"Thank you. So much." She whispered in his ear.

"Anytime." His response was heart felt. Then he lightened the mood, "If I had known you would act like this I would have given you a present every day."

They shared a smile. "I really should be going." Hinata said.

"I guess you're right. Now go get that son of a bitch, so we can have a real drink. You ran out on me last time." He winked at her, making her blush with embarrassment.

"See you soon." She promised. Clipping her pouch to her hip, she gave Genma one last glance, then set off.

"You better." Genma whispered, watching her disappear into the night.

Hinata made not a sound gliding through the woods. Her adrenaline racing through her veins. Nothing but the mission occupied her thoughts. Hidden behind the lioness mask, she was different, dangerous. A new woman with stealth and agility. Nothing could stop her…for the moment.

The moon shown bright, lighting her path. She looked for tell tale signs of human passage. Finally, she stumbled onto a familiar scent. On the tree there were blood stained leaves. And it was fresh. Another 20 minutes were spent running through the forest until she spotted the target. He was sitting down leaning against a tree. He seemed to be preoccupied with digging into his bag.

Silently she activated her Byakugon seeing at once that the man before her was a decoy.

_Hmm, this will be harder than I thought._


	10. Not As Planned

Pulling a shuriken out of her pouch she gave it a flick sending it flying toward the decoy. At that precise moment a figure leapt up behind her, but before he could strike she jumped to the side evading it. With her hands filled with chakra she smashed him through the tree branches below. Her punches weren't nearly as strong as the pink haired ninja she had studied; it wasn't her style of fighting, so she understood why Shikaru was standing after the blow.

"You guys get younger every time I see you. And a female tracker? I haven't seen that in a while." His voice was soft. Much different than Hinata had thought. It made him all the more dangerous.

"There's your first mistake. Never underestimate a ninja." Even as she said it, she couldn't help but think of Naruto. He really had made a big impact on her and she was glad for it. Without him she probably wouldn't be as strong as she is now.

Hinata took her gentle fist style as he said, "I may not like the idea of a female tracking me, but that doesn't make me stupid. All woman have their tricks, I just have to find yours." When he saw the stance she was taking his eyes widened. Then he looked at her puffed eyes. "Ahh, so I see you are a Hyuuga. This should make for an interesting battle."

"The only thing interesting here is the way I've decided to kill you." She smirked.

"Why that's excellent! Finally, someone with spunk. Really a shame you have to fight me, I hate to think about what I'm going to put you through." His eyes twinkled dangerously.

She could sense him calculating. That wasn't a good sign.

_He needs to die before he can come up with a plan._

Hinata had to grasp hold of the situation and a sure way to do that was to have the element of surprise. She attacked first.

Using her gentle fist, she was able to block three of his chakra points. He recovered quickly. His wounds a fatigue, however, hindered his finesse and reactions. She could tell he was a long distance fighter. His movements were heavy, unstable. Understandable since his specialty was genjutsu. All he had to do was hide, then activate the jutsu. Completely safe.

Her attacks came quicker. She didn't want to give him a chance to use any of his strategy.

Her hand thrust forward, connecting with his chest sending a burst of chakra through his heart. But at the same time his hands grabbed her head. It felt as if a million needles were being inserted into her skull. Her cries of pain were unnatural and harsh. Sure she had been stabbed before, but nothing felt quiet as painful as the sensation in her head.

They collapsed. Shikaru fell limp, not a whisper of breath escaped his lips. Hinata on the other hand was still trying to recover from the now burning sensation. With each second it dulled slightly, until it was only a throbbing pain.

_Man that was weird. I need to get back to Konoha soon. There's no telling what the attack has done._

She took out one of her scrolls and sealed him inside. Then leapt off to Konoha. It was when her foot missed the tree branch that she knew something was wrong. Her concentration decreased leaving her in a dazed state. Black dots obscured her vision until only darkness remained.

Something tickled her nose. With eyelashes fluttering the reason became apparent. It was a cherry blossom. She was leaning against her favorite tree. How on earth did she get back to the cottage? All she could remember was falling.

Hinata pushed herself up, no sign of the head ache at all. Maybe Lady Tsunade fixed it. It was great to feel better. Walking to her father's house she figured it would be nice to find out who her rescuer was. Someone had to have come saved her. It's not like she could have made her way back. But thinking about it, her father would probably be angry at her for being helpless again, a burden. When she arrived at the front door she called a quick hello, but no one answered.

She looked through out the house. Reaching her father's bed room door she gave it a soft knock then slid it open. Her eyes grew wide, her hands stared to shake.

"Father! Hinabi!" Hinata raced over to the two bodies lying on the ground. Blood flowed without hesitation into puddles surrounding them.

She felt at their necks, but their heart sighed no beat. Her eyes, unwilling to look away, scanned the wounds afflicted on their bodies. Multiple stab wounds on Hiashi and bruises on Hinabi covered her skin.

_How could this happen. They were so strong, much stronger than I._

The situation didn't make sense. Nothing seemed right. No one could possibly break through Hyuuga's defenses. And even if they had, people would be all over the place.

_Neji!,_ the thought came with a pang.

Even as she entered his cottage she knew it was too late. He was on the ground bleeding profusely from the gashes covering his body.

"H-Hinata."

Bending down next to him Hinata grabbed his hand, refusing to let go.

"Please don't die, Neji, please." Tears welled up to full capacity before spilling over.

"Why didn't you save me." He whispered.

"I-I couldn't. I didn't know…" She explained, desperate for him to understand. His last breath escaped leaving him limp in her arms, eyes wide open. "Oh no, Neji! Don't you dare go! I mean it, don't do this. I'm sorry, please come back."

_This can't be happening. It's not possible. Neji is too strong to die like this!_

She tried a release jutsu, but nothing happended. Panic attacked her then.

_Why isn't it working! This can't be real_.

Hinata pulled out a kunai knife and before she could change her mind stabbed herself in the stomach. All she felt was the pain and nausea, as her vision faded then cleared to reveal a new environment. It worked. She was out of the genjutsu. Not the way she had wanted, but the illusion was gone all the same.

She was on the forest floor looking up at dark storm clouds blocking all light. No stars were visible, nor the luminescent moon. Nothing to reassure her things would get better.

Breathing was difficult, almost impossible with her wound. She needed to find shelter…fast.

The clouds rumbled before releasing their fury upon the earth.

**Okay guys I've got more coming your way, so keep reading!!!!**

**Sorry I took so long!**


	11. Help

A huge tree with shelter worthy branches stood 5 yards away. Sucking in a deep breath, Hinata dragged herself over to lean against the massive trunk.

Her injury needed to be cared for immediately. Blood kept seeping out and she was unable to stop it. Sometime during the whole fixation she had lost her supplies. Leaves were scattered around her, she used them to cover the wound.

Despite the awful situation she couldn't help but be relieved. Her family was safe. Neji was safe. That thought alone kept her sane. Well… as sane as one could be in a situation like this.

Her thoughts became cloudy, blocking rational thought. She could feel the pull of another illusion. The dark recesses of her mind were working against her.

"No…not again," she whispered. Moving her hand to her stomach she pressed the wound hard, snapping her out of the on-coming illusion. The agony was unbearable. Her screams echoed throughout the forest. The stab wound must have been a lot worse then she thought.

_Great going Hinata, why not go ahead and kill yourself._

She wouldn't be able to keep this up. The pain was too strong. Hinata pushed her back up along the tree to steady her legs. When she was able to stand she gripped the tree as tightly, to support herself. As soon as the first step was taken the ground came surging up toward her face.

"Shit." She said in a defeated tone. But the impact she was expecting never came. Instead it was a pair of arms that she met. They were wrapped around her waist, supporting her frame. The arms lifted her up, cradling her entire body. She was being carried.

"T-take my mask off…please." She asked the strong pair of arms. Most ANBU don't remove their masks, but it was becoming hard for her to breathe.

The person set her on the ground. Through the mask she could see another one. It was tiger like, somewhat like her own but masculine. Hinata could tell it was a man. His body was too large to be female. But he did have an unexpected grace that hinted at his skill level.

He knelt down beside her, hands moving to her mask. As soon as it was removed she could tell something was wrong. A sharp intake of breath came from the ANBU.

"Hinata?"

Before she could answer the dark cloud settled over her and she was thrust into another illusion.

Neji was dead in her arms. Blood was everywhere. Why couldn't she have been stronger? The sobs that escaped her chest ripped her apart.

"Damn it Neji! Please, just come back. I-I need you." But though she pleaded the look in his eyes saw through her, into a different place. One where she didn't exist. That was when she felt it. A warm sensation in her chest. The familiar blurring of her vision came back. Hinata closed her eyes. The next time they opened she was staring at an ANBU mask. The rain was coming harder now and he was shielding her from it.

The ANBU removed his mask to reveal a very familiar face. One she was that was quite unexpected.

His white eyes stared at her with evident concern.

"Hold on a bit longer, Lady Hinata. We're about an hour from the sand village. Can you make it?" She could tell he was in a hurry.

"Sure, but I don't want to see you die again." A look of shock crossed his face, but he gave her a nod.

"I'm going to dress your wound now. It's going to hurt."

"Aren't you the charmer." She said shakily.

His hands moved to his pack pulling out a kunai knife. He cut the fabric of her shirt swiftly and began cleaning. She couldn't believe how much it hurt. Every time he touched her she let out a hiss with her body writhing in pain. All the while he was trying to lighten the mood.

"Just look at what you've gotten into." He said with a hint of smile on his face.

"I would have been fine…" she said with some humor. It was becoming more difficult to speak. "I had my own…little shelter and everything."

"Oh yes, tree branches dripping water on you is excellent. Got yourself all nice and soggy."

Finally he applied to wrapping, lifting her slightly to get it around her stomach.

"Okay, you're done. Now be still. I'm going to carry you the rest of the way." He said cradling her in his arms.

"You…sure? I'm not exactly light."

"Hinata, would you just let me help you?" He said then leapt off.

"Neji, please hurry. I can't go back into another illusion. I don't think I could take another one."

"I thought that was what happened."

"How did you know?" She asked weakly.

"You kept calling my name. And telling me to come back." He didn't look at her as he said this. Even in the current situation she could feel the blush in her cheeks. "So I gave you a dose of my chakra to release the jutsu."

"That's not enough. I've been poisoned; it…will…keep coming…" Hinata felt the familiar tug of the genjutsu. Her eyes met Neji, wide and scared.

Neji cursed and cursed. "Hold on Hinata!" Neji had never run so hard in his life. It was terrifying to think that Hinata's life depended on him.

"Hinata, stay with me. Don't leave me yet." He was letting some of his chakra flow into her and it seemed to help a little.

"What, are you going to dump me in a river if I do?" Hinata was trying everything to keep her self awake for Neji. She hated to see him so worried and out of control. She felt better when she heard him chuckle.

"I'll do what I have to."

Hinata was struggling. This particular pull was harder and much stronger. She hated to think of what was waiting for her should she succumb to it.

"Talk to me. This one is stronger." After saying this she felt the wind beat stronger against her body. Neji was using all he had to get her to Suna. To keep her safe.

"Konoha has been attacked by the cloud ninja. When received Hizashi's body instead of Hiashi's you can imagine how pissed they were. Apparently they have been planning their revenge for a while. I've been sent to bring reinforcements from Suna."

"Why didn't they just send a bird carrier?"

"I was asked to find you also. Tsunade didn't want the Hyuuga heir captured."

"Ha heir, I don't want anything to do with my father."

"I used to think that about you, but look how things have changed." He was looking deep into her eyes as he said this.

She was completely caught off guard. Chills erupted from her stomach and spread throughout her.

_Did he feel something for me, more than friendship? No that was stupid, wasn't it?_

But Hinata didn't have time to explore it. She started shaking, eyes beginning to glaze over. Her scream was the loudest yet. The feeling of needles penetrating her skull returned

"Neji!" She wished he could stop it. Something was different about this feeling. It wasn't the pull of her mind into a fake reality, but into death.

"Hinata! Shit. What's wrong? Answer me!" But all he got in return was another yelp of pain. What could he do? He was running low on chakra, but he pushed some into her anyway. Then he began to block some of her chakra points. Maybe stopping the flow a little would stop the poison. Her screams turned to whimpers.

Hinata wanted to look at Neji one last time before she left him for good. She stared into his white eyes. _Almost silver_, she realized. Some how they were different from her own. Determination was written in them along with dread, but all she could think of was how much she would miss them. Darkness overcame her.

"Hinata, stay with me!"

**Hope you enjoyed it, please give me lots of reviews!!**


	12. Awakening

**First of all I want to thank all you guys for reviewing. This story wouldn't have continued without you! And if I let too many grammar mistakes get by let me know! And Im sorry if it's not too long. I've had so much to take care of. Thanks mates, troublesomefemale.**

_Heaven sure is a noisy place_, Hinata thought. Though somewhere is the back of her mind she knew she wasn't there. No, she was in too much pain for a place like that. Her thoughts ceased when a familiar voice rang through her ears.

Everything hurt, sound, light, her body in general. And the constant shouting wasn't helping.

"Hey you can't be in here! This is the ICU room. You need-." Before the person could finish, there was a slam against the wall to her left. Hinata turned her head slightly to find that Neji had a medic pinned against the wall a foot above the ground. What was he thinking?

Neji's eyes narrowed on the man and a string of threats erupted too low to hear. But the way his voice took on that serious tone told her that he wasn't fooling around.

"…She is my assignment. Do you understand me?" The voice was raw with anger, low like a growl.

"Uhhh, yea s-sure, whatever you want!"

"Thank you." Neji said pleasantly, letting go of the man. The poor medic ran out of the room faster than Hinata possible thought.

Hinata's eyes were heavy, so she let then drop lazily. She heard sigh right next to her head.

"Damn it, Hinata. If you don't wake up I'm coming after you." Neji brushed the hair away from her face. Then a damp cloth was placed on her forehead. It was then that she realized how hot she was. The cool water relaxed her, but the pain was still there.

Something brushed her hand making her eyes open. But before she could see what had made contact, it disappeared leaving her wondering if anything had happened at all.

Hinata lifted her hand to grasp Neji's. She heard an intake of breath, before his hand entwined with hers. The silence was calming and the warmth of Neji's hand was comforting. When it was possible, her eyes opened. It was like the last time. Fathomless pools of silver. They seemed to see past all her barriers and unlock her secrets.

"Sleep Hinata. You're safe."

"Are you leaving?" she whispered, her throat dry.

"Do you want me to?"

She squeezed his hand, her mouth automatically frowning. She was so tired of being alone, but she didn't want to keep him here against his will.

He gave her smile, "Then I will stay." Bringing their linked hands to his lips he kissed hers letting her know he wasn't going anywhere. Hinata was too tired to think about what had just occurred, so she accepted it letting her eyes fall shut.

* * *

Hinata woke in darkness. It took a few moments to register where she was and then it hit her. Remembering she practically passed out on Neji wasn't a good way to wake up. Now that she thought about it; what had happened between them? They were in two very different braches of Hyuuga. The main and lesser branches were never directly involved with each other. Sure the lesser branch was to protect the main household, but that was it. They certainly couldn't be…well…"involved". At this she scorned herself. There is no way Neji could feel like that towards her. He was just doing his job. She remembered what he said before, that she was his assignment. It was embarrassing actually, the way she reacted about him leaving. It was foolish.

She was pulled out of her thoughts when she realized her hand was under a slight pressure. Another hand was entwined with hers. The heavy sound of breathing resonated near her. Turning slightly to the left she saw a figure slumped in a chair.

_Would he really stay_, she questioned doubtfully.

But the figure in the chair was definitely Neji. No one had hair like Neji's. And now it was splayed over his shoulders. It was amazing how vulnerable he looked while asleep. she was satisfied to know that he didn't snore, but had a soothing way of breathing. She couldn't help thinking he seemed controlled. Neji always seemed controlled. But even as she though it she knew that wasn't completely true. Running through the forest, the look in his eyes told her everything. He was lost and confused; almost as if he couldn't believe this was happening.

She felt a little better, now there was only a throbbing pain. Nothing she couldn't handle. Sleep was starting to take over her, but the sight of Neji was too intriguing. What was it about him? Some how he looked as if he was storing something, like he wanted to release some sort of energy. It was hard to tell what. Before she could analyze further a yawn escaped, making her hand clench Neji's. His eyes flew open, scanning the room in a split second. Just like a ninja should be he was prepared for the worse. Already she could see he had grabbed a kunai knife with his other hand.

"A little on edge are we?" Hinata joked.

He turned to her, giving a slight smile, "No more than usual. I can see you're prepared and ready to go." He joked.

"Ha. Ha. Don't mess with me, I'm crippled." Hinata retorted.

"How are you feeling?" Concern filling his features.

"Eh, you know, like I got stabbed and put into a genjutsu. Um how long have I been out?"

"About 2 days."

"Oh no! The mission! The village! Crap. What are you still doing here?! Shouldn't you be in Konoha helping out?" Hinata swung her feet out of bed, and pushed off trying to stand up. Not a good idea. As soon as she hopped out of the bed the room began swirling.

Thankfully Neji and those reliable arms of his were around her in a second, holding her steady.

"Would you just calm down for a minute. I don't want to have to call the medics back in here to sedate you." She glared up at him. This was no time for joking!

Neji lifted her off the floor and placed her back in bed.

"Now do you want the story or sleep? I'll be happy to oblige with either one you choose." He said a look of pleasure on his face.

Giving him a scowl she settled down to show her willingness to be calm and pay attention.

"Everything has been taken care of. Gaara sent teams over to Konoha to help out. He was quite generous, probably since the village has done so much for him"

"You mean Naruto."

"Excatly."

"So why aren't you there?"

"Because I was told to monitor you recovery."

"Isn't that what medics are for?" she questioned suspiciously.

Something glimmered in his eyes then. What a confusing person he has turned out to be.

"Tsunade requested that I stay behind until your recovery. That way we can return to the village together. She is wary of either of us traveling alone. Remember, the cloud ninja are still set on finding out the secrets of the Byakugon. If they were to capture one of us it would be…well let's not let that happen, okay?"

"Sounds like a plan to me." Hinata hesitated a moment. "Thank you for saving me, I wouldn't have made it."

She saw Neji's eyes warm, "No problem at all." He smiled.

"So when can I get out of this bed and start my therapy?" Hinata asked, smiling in return.

"Um, not quite sure. I'll go get someone." With that he rose out of his chair and left through the door.

Hinata couldn't help but think of what Naruto was doing. He really had become her best friend. She wanted to be there beside him and Neji. Fighting for the village they all loved. But to get to that point thearapy was needed. It was imperative that she get healthy as soon as possible.

Neji entered through the door with medical personal and none other then the Kazekage himself. He strode in with that look of responsibility and absolute authority. Made sense considering the position he held.

Hinata immediately sccoted up into a siting position in his presence. Gaara took note of that, seemingly his eyes missed nothing. It reminded her of someone else she knew.

"There is no need to be uncomfortable on my account. Please relax Hinata." Gaara said with his deep whisper of a voice.

"Thank you." She said politely.

While the medical examiner checked on Hinata's status, Neji talked to Garra.

"Gaara-sama, is there any news form Konoha?"

"Yes. So far things are still hectic. I've been meaning to send more teams to the village. I was hoping the two of you could lead separate squads when Hinata recovers." Gaara looked at Hinata. "The finest medical team has seen to your recovery, you should be back to normal in…how long, Amaya?"

"Everything is going as it should, so in about a day or so, Gaara-sama."

"Do either of you have any objections? Leading this mission would be most advantageous considering that you are familiar with the land."

"No objections here."

"Nor here." Neji added.

"Thank you for your cooperation. Oh, Naruto has sent a small message. He has plans to meet up with you when you reach the borders of Konoha; Tsunade's orders."

"Thank you, Kazekage-sama." Hinata said respectfully.

"It's my pleasure. Naruto told me to take good care of you. I'll have your assignments when you're ready." With a nod to both Hyuuga he left through the door.

"Okay Hinata, I'll be back in a few hours to help you with your therapy sessions." Amaya said.

"Okay, thank you."

When Amaya had left, Neji came closer to her, "So, are you ready to rock?"

"More than you know."


	13. In Search of Hot Water

**Hey everyone! Thank you for all the reviews, they are greatly appreciated. I know it's not much, but I hope you enjoy it. On with the story then…**

Hinata never realized how early it was until she stepped outside. The sun was barely over the horizon, giving the sky a hint of purple. The physical therapy session had gone well. She went through a series of exercises with Amaya that stretched her muscles out. Amaya also did healing sessions on Hinata's stomach. She told Hinata that the type of poison used on her was extremely intricate. They still were uncertain whether the poison was truly gone, but enough was cured so that the illusions wouldn't come back. That didn't exactly comfort Hinata. She decided she'd talk to Tsunade as soon as possible, especially if her splitting headache could return.

Now there was a more reddish purple in the sky. Hinata was standing on the balcony of her hospital room. Gaara had decided to give them a few more days to regroup. He had received nothing from Konoha that was alarming and needed dire attention. Plus, Hinata needed another day of therapy. It seemed tedious to her considering she felt normal. Nothing hurt at all, but of course the doctors wanted to take precautions.

Neji had been preoccupied with preparations for the journey back home. It was a little upsetting to Hinata, not having Neji around. But still, though her heart protested, she didn't allow herself to think too much about him. There was no need to complicate things. She had to keep her eyes on the mission ahead, just like Neji was.

Then again, he had kissed her hand. Was he trying to say something? Or just being comforting? It was too much to handle. Realizing how tight her muscles were she set off to get a shower.

Grabbing some clothes, she hurried to the bathroom. Gaara had seen to it that Hinata and Neji be comfortable. She flicked on the shower turning the nozzle to warm. The only problem was it didn't get hot, just cold.

_Great, a busted shower. How in the world did the hospital suite get a busted shower? _

An idea struck. Neji's room was next door and he was never there. As a matter of fact he was probably talking with Gaara or doing something, so she wouldn't be disturbed. She snatched her clothes and headed to Neji's room. As soon as she got to the bathroom she stopped mid-stride.

The door was open, the light on, traces of steam rising, and Neji. Only this wasn't the Neji she knew. This was rock hard abs, muscular arms and legs, and…everything else. His wet hair dripped water down his body. Finally her gaze met his face and the curse seal on his head. She expected to see him shocked, but instead found a look of curiosity.

Heat flooded her face becoming an impressive shade of red.

"Oh shit." Hinata turned around, hurrying to get to the door, but a hand on her shoulder made her freeze, sending shivers throughout her body. The hand pulled her around. Immediately her eyes squinted. But she soon realized Neji was covered with the uniform black pants. Her eyes opened wider.

"Hey." Neji said simply

"Y-Yea, h-hey Neji. I'm sorr-."

"What are you doing here?" A sound of suspicion in his tone.

"My shower b-broke, so I came to use yours, but you were…"

"In it," he finished, " well, somewhat."

Hinata was hardly paying attention. Her face was burning, tiny beads of sweat dripping off her face. If felt like the air was being sucked out of the room.

_How can he act so casual? I mean, I saw…everything. His muscular arms, nicely toned abs, and those two lines starting at his hips that go all the way down…Oh man I need to stop. This isn't helping!_

She couldn't breath. As strong as she had become it had to be this situation that broke her seemingly solid exterior. She never had feelings like this except when she had crushed on Naruto. No way was this the same. Surely she didn't feel the same way about the Hyuuga in front of her. Right?

"Are you alright Hinata? That shade of red can't be healthy." Neji pressed his hand to her forehead. "You're burning up."

Her eyes darted around uneasily and she started playing with her fingers.

Neji had an amused look on his face, "Something's wrong, you're acting too much like your old self.

His expression was madding, "I thought the reason would be obvious. I mean I just-."

"Saw me naked? Yeah, but what with your new personality I didn't think I would trigger such a reaction."

" You think this is just hilarious, don't you?"

"Sure do." He said with a handsome smile.

"Unbelievable." Before she could form a hand sign for a quick escape, Neji threw her on his bed.

"Oh no. I'm not letting you get angry over this…unless you saw something you didn't like?"

Hinata didn't have time to respond, Neji jumped on top of her, tickling her stomach. And Neji was the master of tickling she decided. The Hyuuga style helped immensely.

_I've really got to find a way out of this ticklish thing._

"N-No! Please!!" she yelled between laughs.

"Promise you're not mad and I'll stop."

"I…promise!" Finally the attack ceased. He had way too much power over her.

"And that you won't hurt me afterward."

"Okay, okay."

"So what did you think?" He waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"Ah! Get off me!" She gave him a push sending him flying off, but landing softly on his feet. Hinata sat up, crossing her legs. "Where have you been anyway?"

"Just hanging around with Gaara. We're setting up some teams to head to Konoha. Is that okay with you Lady Hinata?" he asked playfully.

"I was just wondering. You've been busy lately. Can you update me on anything?" She still found it hard to look into his eyes. Especially since he was straddling her waist a few seconds ago.

"One of Konoha's ANBU bases along the border has been infiltrated and taken over. Tsunade asked for some back up. She expects us to respond. There aren't enough ninja available to carry out the mission successfully. The extra ninja will meet us at the border."

"Do you know who will be there?"

"No, not everybody. The only ones I am certain of are Shikamaru and Naruto."

At the sound of Naruto's name Hinata perked up a little. She hadn't seen him in so long. It would be nice to see her best friend again.

"You miss him don't you?" Her face must have given something away.

"Yeah, it's been different without him. But you're an okay replacement." Hinata smiled.

"I'm flattered," Neji said sarcastically.

"Can I take a shower now? I still have therapy."

"Actually you don't. Amaya said you were fine to do whatever today. Just don't strain yourself. We'll be leaving tomorrow morning."

"What am I supposed to do now?"

"For starters, I give you permission to shower in my bathroom without any naked men in your way," he winked, causing a blush to redden her cheeks slightly, "And, we can meet our new team members if you'd like."

"Sure. Where are you going to be while I take a shower?"

"I'll be in Gaara's office. We still have some things to discuss."

"Anything you'd like to share with me?" She asked with curiosity.

"You'll know soon enough, now go get a shower."

"Only because you said so."

"As it should be." He smirked.

She grabbed her clothes and headed toward the bathroom. She turned on the shower and jumped in. Even as Neji yelled through the door it was too late.

"I don't think there's…"

"Ah! Neji you asshole!" Hinata shrieked.

"..any hot water left."

Neji laughed all the way to Gaara's office.

**I'll have another chapter as soon as possible. Please review and tell me what you like or didn't like. Thanks mates!**

**P.S. Just a reminder, if I have a **_**huge**_** amount of grammar/spelling mistakes please let me know.**


	14. Girl Talk

**Hey mates, sorry for the insanely long wait!! I had bit of writer's block but the juices are flowing again! I hope you enjoy the new segment!**

Hinata couldn't believe the embarrassment she had just gone through

Hinata couldn't believe the embarrassment she had just gone through. It took the entire time spent in the shower to dull the redness in her cheeks. After getting dressed she threw her hair into a bun and exited the scene of humiliation. Her mind twisted over the recent events, going through every detail.

_What did I think? How could he as such a question?_

Not that it was a complicated answer. Rock hard, well "equipped" body that would make any girls knees weak. Neji was making things unnecessarily complicated. Like their relationship wasn't confusing enough, he had to go and play a wild card on her.

Before entering the Kazekage's office Hinata stood still to gather her senses. Her eyes roamed over the intricate wood carvings that decorated its arches. Each one was slightly different from the next but still worked together to make the wonderful masterpiece. Perhaps the design was premeditated or maybe improvised. No matter how it was thought out, the end result was beautiful. The wood was smooth as silk without flaw.

Further contemplation was interrupted when a voice came from inside the office, "You may come in Hinata."

Surprised by the offhand comment she hastily entered expecting to see several faces but met only one. She gave a slight bow, "Gaara-sama, I was told my team mates would be here."

"They were. Neji informed us you might be a while," Hinata blushed, "They left to better acquaint themselves on the training grounds."

"I see."

"Before you leave I'd like to explain the situation to you briefly. The others will explain in further detail. The cloud ninja are rumored to have entered the northeast borders of Wind Country. Being that they are Konoha enemies, they are also ours. It seems to be a farfetched rumor, but none can be too sure. I'm positive Kumo wouldn't take on the two most powerful villages at the same. Their sanity comes into question if so." The last statement made Hinata smile along with a surprising smirk from the Kazekage. "Neji's squad includes Baki and Matsuri. Yours are my two siblings, Konkuro and Temari."

Hinata flashed back to the Chunin exams. Konkuro and Temari had been ruthless. Then again so had Gaara, but look how he's changed. It'd be interesting to see how the other two turned out. They had been around Konoha on business but she had never conversed with them. She was too busy trying to earn the respect of Neji and her father.

"Thank you Hinata, you're dismissed."

With a slight nod she turned to exit. "Oh, Hinata wait. Naruto told me to give you this before you leave." She turned around to see a pile of sand floating at chest level. On it was a familiar brown container. It was her families healing ointment. She grabbed it and the sand retreated to its master.

"Thank you Gaara-sama."

"Not a problem, Hinata."

Leaving the office she felt a swell of happiness at the present. It was nice to know that Naruto was concerned for her well-being.

* * *

The hot dry air dusted her skin as soon as she was outside.

_How could anyone live like this_, she thought.

Heading toward the training grounds Hinata vaguely wondered how the residents of Suma kept the sand from creeping inside every crevice. Already, she could feel the grains of hot sand wriggle their way into her shoes. There had to be a secret to it.

Rounding the corner, Hinata saw the familiar sight of wood carved masterpieces. Each puppet had their own purpose in the dangerous trio. There was only one that she recognized. The others were equally frightening, but much larger in size. Without realizing it her Byakugon was activated, studying the chakra strings. Each tiny flicker of movement resulted in a destructive move from the puppets. It seemed impossible to be able to control more than one at a time but Konkuro pulled it off skillfully.

Hinata flashed back to a conversation with Kiba. He had explained that if not for Konkuro, he and Choji would not have made it through the mission. She remembered she would be meeting the cause of it, Matsuri. Her kidnapping had lead to that horrible events that unfolded the mission. Kiba had talked about most of his own accomplishments, but he also described the intricacy of Konkuro's puppets. At that time Konkuro only had two. Apparently every weapon was coated with a deadly poison making an encounter with the non living creatures even more of a hassle.

Hinata's eyes jumped to the opponent of the puppet master. She assumed he was Baki, the sand sibling's old sensei. His graceful moves made it seem easy to dodge the trio. She doubted that it would be so simple. Watching the dance she realized it was a reflex exercise, Baki wasn't attacking, but avoiding the blows instead.

Her thoughts disappeared in a cloud of smoke when a gleaming kunai came flying at her from behind. Skillfully she executed a partial rotation to deflect the kunai. After the twisting of her body she immediately took the gentle fist stance, her senses acute and aware of her surroundings. She saw them even before they appeared.

A yellowed haired kunoichi stood in front of her.

"Not bad," Temari smirked. Neji and Matsuri flanked her. At the sight of Neji, Hinata felt the annoying flutter of butterfly wings tickling the insides of her stomach. The battle she had previously been watching came to a halt.

She locked eyes with the Hyuuga, "Nice try Neji."

"Just keeping you on your guard." He smiled.

Temari looked surprised along with Matsuri.

"How did you know it was Neji?"

Before Hinata could answer, Neji gave a quick explanation, "Not much can escape those eyes. She too has the Byakugon."

Konkuro and Baki appeared on her right.

"Then you're part of the Hyuuga clan," said Konkuro matter-of-factly.

"So it would seem," replied Neji. Hinata nodded.

Matsuri spoke up with impatience, "I believe introductions are in order. I'm Matsuri, Gaara's apprentice."

Baki told them he was on the Suna council. Temari and Konkuro introduced themselves as Gaara's older siblings.

"I'm Hinata Hyuuga of the main branch."

"Main branch?" asked Konkuro.

"There are two branches of the Hyuuga clan. The main household and the lesser one. While she is from the elite, I am from the lesser branch sworn to protect the elite…" Neji explained sharing a look with Hinata, "… sworn to protect her." He gave a nod in Hinata's direction.

The Hyuuga's attention stayed on each other, blocking out the others. For a moment she wished she could melt in those slivery eyes of his instead of going on this mission. The last thing Hinata wanted was to be split into another team away from him. He was her protector after all. Shouldn't he stay by her at all times; watching over her, being there every time she was lonely. Wasn't he supposed to be the shield to save her from the heartbreaking trials she had had to endure? Where had he been then, while she had changed with each season into a person no one recognized and she herself barely knew.

Baki's voice interrupted the intimate connection, "We had better get a move on. Gaara said our squad had to take a longer route in order to check out the northeast border. It will be night fall sooner than you think and if we are to meet Konoha squads at the border simultaneously, we need to leave now."

Reluctantly breaking the gaze with Neji she looked up to find the sun directly overhead. Midday. "Baki is right. The sooner you guys leave the better.

Neji agreed with an incline of his head. He was giving that all too familiar look of uncertainty in his pale eyes. Almost as if he was waiting for her to do something. What, she had no clue, but she had better figure it out soon.

"Alright then. My team, move out," Neji commanded. Baki and Matsuri took off. Neji remained a few seconds more. She could feel his piercing gaze calculating. It seemed like he was going to say something but thought better of it and disappeared without a word leaving her more confused than she ever had been. He could see through her façade and it scared her. She had already let him through her defenses once on that night in the woods and now look what's happened. She could not allow herself to be so weak in front of him again.

Before her thoughts could progress any further they were interrupted with the sudden realization that two people were in her presence, waiting for her orders.

"I realize we can stay until tomorrow morning, but I would rather leave now. That way we can go ahead and set up camp at the designated meeting site. Plus, I just can't sit around waiting." She said sheepishly.

The two other ninja smiled.

Temari spoke up, "We were hoping you would say that. We're ready to go."

"Perfect. Let's move out."

* * *

After stopping by her room to gather supplies, the three ninja sped through the city and out into the harsh sandstorm weather. This country was quite unpleasant. She would be happy when they reached the more welcoming climate of Fire Country.

The blazing sun refused to cease its unbearable rays as the ninja raced across the desert. Hinata thought about the mission ahead. The cloud nin who had taken over the ANBU base had to be highly skilled to have defeated the shinobi occupying it. Revenge has made their thirst for strength even more important. It was mind boggling how far people would go for it. Sasuke had traded everything to seek his revenge and look where it got him. He was killed by the very person who wanted to save him because he wouldn't give up being an avenger, as he had called himself. Naruto had been a wreck when he returned to the village. Despite the horrific memory she felt a little relief that she was going to see him soon. It felt like ages since she had seen her best friend. Naruto seemed to bring out the carefree side in everyone, especially Hinata. He lifted the weight life had cast upon her.

Thinking of him made it imperative that she get to the border as quickly as possible. She would also rather be with Naruto when a certain Hyuuga was not present. The way things were going, something unnecessary was bound to be brought to Naruto's attention. And there would be none of that. She was worried about how she might act with these new feelings, not to mention pictures of _all_ of Neji in her head. She hoped Naruto would not notice.

The sun was setting beautifully, painting the sky with vibrant colors, each one blending into the next. All too soon the rush of color began to fade leaving the sun and stars to light the path ahead. The calm serenity of night was obscured by the sudden chill. There seemed to be no release from the climate extremities of wind country.

"Okay guys. We've been moving long enough. Let's make camp." As they settled in for the night Hinata looked around noting that the scenery had not changed much. The sky, however, was breath taking.

They ate their meals by the fire in a tiring silence. It was impossible to feel comfortable. Out of the corner of her eyes Hinata could see Temari steal glances at her.

_What was that about?_

Thankfully the silence spell was broken with Konkuro's voice.

"So what's up with you and Neji…?"

Hinata stiffened, eye brows raised and eyes wide with shock.

_Was it that obvious? He couldn't know…_

"…Why would the cloud ninja want you guys?"

Hinata's posture and face immediately relaxed. The breath she had been unintentionally holding escaped. Now at least she could answer the question coherently.

"Weren't you at the Chunin finals? Neji told the entire thing."

"We were a little preoccupied with attacking your village, remember? And you really can't hear much when the ninja are talking in the pit. We only caught bits and pieces, but that was a long time ago so it's hard to remember." He replied.

"Gaara only told us that the cloud ninja were at war with Konoha and that the Hyuuga were the main reason behind it. We were given the necessary information. Gaara claimed he didn't have time to explain the rest and that you would fill the rest in if you saw fit," explained Temari.

"I don't see a problem with it. It started when I was very young. The Raikage just signed a treaty with Konoha and there was a huge celebration. That same night one of their ninja came to kidnap me in order to unlock the secrets of the Byakugon. You see, if someone were to find them out it could mean the death of my entire clan. Before they could get away with me my father, Hiashi, was able to stop them. Unfortunately, the death of the cloud ninja violated the treaty. Of course the last thing the Third Hokage wanted was to go to war with them, so he was given an ultimatum. The Raikage said that if he would give them the corpse of Hiashi they could avoid a war. This is where things start to get ugly. Hiashi was ready to die for the safety of the village, but then the secret of the Byakugon would be released. So his twin, Hizashi, volunteered.

"How would that change anything? They would still get the Byakugon," reasoned Konkuro.

"It makes all the difference. As Neji explained earlier there are two branches of the Hyuuga household. The lesser branch is branded with the Hyuuga Curse Seal or Juin. Their job is to protect the main branch at all costs and if they refuse we can activate the Juin causing them excruciating pain. The seal does not just keep them under our control, but it also seals the Byakugon secrets within them. It is a precaution that is taken to ensure the safety of our clan."

"You're saying that if you were to make a certain hand sign you could send Neji to his knees?" Temari asked astounded.

"I could." Hinata said with a grimace, imagining the pain on his perfect face. It hurt her to think of him being in so much pain.

"Talk about a short leash." Konkuro remarked.

"It's not like we activate it whenever we want, they aren't our servants, only our protectors. I've never activated a Juin before and neither have most of my clan members. Anyway, the fact is Hizashi was of the lesser branch and went in Hiashi's place. When the Raikage found out, well you know the result. An all out war." Hinata said with grief.

Temari's face was calculating, then horror charged her features. Hinata knew Temari had figured out what she didn't want to bring up.

"If Neji is your cousin, then Hizashi was his father wasn't he."

"Yes. He was."

"How could Neji live with that," Konkuro wondered, "I'd be madder than hell."

"He was. It was worse though. Neji didn't even know that his father had volunteered. He thought the main branch forced Hizashi to do it. You remember the battle between Neji and me?" They nodded. "Then you remember he tried to kill me. It was only after he learned the truth that he slowly began to forgive."

"Yeah man, that was a brutal battle. You were pretty tough, but if those jonin hadn't stepped in you would have been toast," said Konkuro.

"Konkuro!" Temari yelled embarrassed by her brother's behavior.

"Well it's the truth." He murmured.

"He's right. I am lucky. But as you can see he's gotten much better." Hinata smiled. The other two chuckled a little.

"Yeah it's died down to throwing kunai at you," laughed Temari.

The fire was almost dead by the time they finished talking. If Hinata wanted to get to the border quickly they would need to get up at dawn. So the three ninja agreed to get some sleep. As Hinata settled down she couldn't help wondering why Temari had been giving her curious glances earlier. Hopefully the truth would reveal it's self soon. Hinata wasn't one to be patient.

* * *

The following morning was difficult to be ready for. They must have stayed up later than they thought. The entire squad executed their morning routines with half lidded eyes. The sun's rays were again merciless on the backs of the shinobi.

Konkuro assured Hinata that their arrival to Fire Country wound be reached sometime after noon. Excitement threaded her veins, increasing her speed with every step.

"Anxious are we?" Came Temari's voice.

"Just in a hurry to get out of this insane weather and back to my home." Hinata was alarmed by the comment. Temari was observant in everything she did. Her mind was like Shikamaru's, noting every detail. Hinata would have to be careful.

Hinata heard Temari whisper to her brother. Then she sped up to keep pace with Hinata, while her brother stayed a few yards behind them, no doubt because Temari said to.

"I wonder if you'll be honest with me," she mused.

"I suppose that depends on what you want to know."

"It is very personal, but most people find it easier to talk to strangers."

Now Hinata was finally going to find out what has been bugging Temari.

"What do you want to know?" she asked nervously.

"I know there's something going on with you and Neji. Don't even deny it, 'cause then you'd be a lair. So what's going on with you two, hm?" She demanded.

Dread filled Hinata. But then she was hit with a spark of curiosity.

_Would it be such a bad thing to tell her? She didn't even live in Konoha and I've never talked to anyone about it. _

Though it could be helpful, she decided not to go into detail. It was best to speak generally.

"I'll answer that if you answer one of my questions with equal frankness. Otherwise, forget it." There, that was fair.

"Fine, but let's get something straight. This conversation doesn't leave the two of us. Got it? I don't want to make you an enemy. But I will if you give me a reason to."

"Deal."

"Now answer the question," demanded Temari with a smirk.

Before answering Hinata let out a breath, "Honestly, I have no idea. Maybe? It's utterly confusing. Every once in a while he looks at me like more than just an obligation. It even seems like he's trying to figure me out." She left it at that.

An uncomfortable feeling in her stomach told her that this was uncharted territroy. It felt wrong to tell Temari. It was like she was betraying the secrets of her and Neji's weird relationship. Even if she tried to talk about it, it would be impossible to explain the thoughts and feelings spinning the intricate web in her head.

"I could have told you that. You two locking eyes on each other before he left was more than friendly."

"How would you know?" Hinata asked, her anger rising.

"Please, ask anyone else who saw that show and they'd say the same thing. Now is that all you have to say on the subject?"

"Yes, it is," she said defiantly.

"There's more, I know it."

"Hey, I answered the question. I don't have to say more."

"Now I know stuff has happened! Please tell me!" Temari begged.

"I never agreed to go into detail and you still have to answer my question."

"What is it?" she asked exasperated.

"You and Shikamaru?" Hinata smiled.

Temari's head snapped over to Hinata.

"I have good reading skills too," Hinata said smugly, flashing her Byakugon, "I've noticed you two walking around the village when you visit."

"Only because he is assigned to me when I come as the Suna ambassador. That man, no that boy is completely irritating. I only put up with him because I have to."

"I thought we were supposed to be honest," Hinata tsked.

"You're one to talk. Either you just don't want to talk about it or you are completely clueless. He only has eyes for you. And until you do something about it you will forever wonder what could have happened."

Hinata looked down in embarrassment. No one other than her father had ever been so direct with her. Not only that but deep down she knew Temari spoke the truth. Unfortunately, that wasn't comforting. It meant she would have to let her guard down against the one person who made her heart race and palms glisten.

"Wait a minute," Temari's brow furrowed, "are you allowed to be with someone from the lesser branch?"

"I guess. Actually I don't really know. That would be an interesting conversation to have with my father. Sometimes there are arranged marriages. It may not be long before he pushes some guy on me."

"Then you better snatch Neji up before that can happen," Temari smiled.

But Hinata still couldn't sort out her feeling about him. Everything was too fresh. Only time would tell.

"What about you?" Hinata asked, turning the attention to Temari. "Are you to good to follow your own advice?"

"It's not that easy."

"And my situation is?"

"Yours is different. It's obvious Neji likes you. With Shikamaru I can't be sure."

"Well, until you do something about it you will forever wonder what could have happened." Hinata mocked.

"You are much different than I remember," Temari said irked, "What happened to that shy little girl?"

The past years flashed through her mind. She remembered the torment it had taken for her to become who she is now.

"People change."

**Thanks for reading! Lots of reviews please, I need to know what you guys are thinking ; )**

**Later mates,**

**troublesomefemale**


	15. Not Quite

**Thank you all for the reviews!**

Just so you know, i will be fixing some of my beginning chapters because they need to be "polished". Some dialogue may change, but the events will remain the same.

thanks mates

* * *

Hinata brightened as the sight of the dense green forest appeared ahead. Her pace quickened, earning a chuckle from Konkuro.

"You really can't stand the desert, can you?" he asked.

"Well, it's not exactly on my top places to be," she said sheepishly, "Sorry…but how can you find it so appealing? Every time you go outside you have to fight the sand in your clothes and more annoyingly in your shoes! I don't know how you guys deal with it. I mean does everyone in your village walk around with sand in their shoes?"

"Ah, I forgot you don't know the trick. It's rather simple…" before Konkuro could finish Temari interrupted.

"Guys, I believe we have arrived at the site."

Hinata's smile was electric; a vibrating mass of thrills took over her body for a moment. Finally, they had reached the mark bringing her closer to Naruto's weight lifting abilities and…Neji. A sudden eagerness to have him back in her line of sight filled her. She hoped he would arrive soon.

Unfortunately there wasn't much planning to do since Naruto's squad had all the maps Tsunade's orders, if any. They chatted lightly on the recent events; Hinata answered any questions the siblings had, putting to rest their confusion on the war.

Sleep became a top priority to the ninja, having spent half the day racing through the hot dry desert of Wind country. Each of them agreed that a short nap was in order. They needed to be well rested so they could welcome the two squads that were to be here sometime tonight.

* * *

Hinata woke up with her hair blowing wildly in the air. It was weird weather for Konoha. Slowly she sat up to find that it wasn't weird weather but chakra powered wind. Temari had just finished a swing of her giant fan.

"Damn Temari! I just finished sanding my puppets! We're just training!"

"Hey, you're the one who forgot the get rid of the poison on the weapons you idiot! Are you trying to kill me?!"

"What, you can't dodge it?"

"And you can't handle a little wind?" She countered.

Hinata smirked at their banter. Yes they truly were brother and sister.

"Can I offer a suggestion?" she asked.

They both turned to look at her surprised.

"Oh, Hinata. Sorry we woke you. Konkuro is being stupid."

"Hardly." He muttered, "You said you had a suggestion?"

"I was thinking maybe you guys should work on close combat for now. You know so Temari doesn't get poisoned and the entire forest doesn't disappear. Plus, it's both of your weak spots. You guys are distance fighters, so a little hand to hand combat training wouldn't be bad." She smiled.

"Makes sense, but I can't fight with Temari anymore. She's pissing me off and I don't feel like killing her." Konkuro said defiantly.

"Like you could." Temari murmured.

"Shut up." he glared.

"So immature," Temari said with her eyes rolling.

"Nevertheless, I am plenty able to train with you, Konkuro. Besides, as you know, close combat is my specialty." Hinata said smugly.

"Yeah, that might be a problem."

"Don't worry about it. I won't use my gentle fist. Remember, we still need you to help us take back the base."

"Alright then." Konkuro smirked.

Hinata got out of her sleeping bag and stood stretching her aching muscles. Bending over she picked up the long black gloves that went with the rest of her all black attire. After the battle she would need to wash. She could only guess how she smelled. Not a very appealing thought.

After taking off her kunai holder she walked over to the other ninja.

"I'll get out of your way, then. And Hinata don't hurt him too bad." She said with a wink. Hinata couldn't help but to smile back.

Standing in front of Konkuro, Hinata took a different stance. It felt weird not having the familiar Hyuuga style, but Genma made sure to teach her a more general stance in case she was low on chakra. Konkuro's eyebrows lifted and he looked cautious as he took his own.

Hinata attacked first. Her fist flew towards his face but was skillfully blocked. Konkuro raised his knee to make contact with her stomach. But Hinata executed a back flip before the blow could hit. Konkuro didn't wait for her to get comfortable and charged. The next moments were a combination of kicks, punches, and blocks. Without her gentle fist not much could be done. All that was left was brute force and Konkuro was no doubt stronger than her. Agility was her most important weapon. His fist came at her but she crouched low, swinging her leg to trip him. He landed on his back. Hinata took the quick opening to jump on him straddling his waist. She raised her arm back and snapped it forward to hit him in the face. But he brought up crossed arms to block it. Her other fist came down. Konkuro was putting up a much stronger fight then she had anticipated. Now both her hands were captured. How troublesome. To keep her in control he rolled them over so that he was on top. That was a fatal mistake. She powered her leg with chakra and kneed him in the back sending him flying. They recovered fast, rolling to their feet.

"We're you guys planning on finishing the battle or waiting until hell froze over?" came Temari's irritated voice.

"Well if you're brother would stop fighting then I could finish this."

"Same goes for you, Hinata!"

"This is ridiculous," said Temari exasperated, "Somebody needs to wrap this up."

Hinata took the opportunity to catch Konkuro off guard. She appeared behind him and delivered a harsh kick to his back. While he was on the ground, Hinata jumped on his back pulling his arms behind him, giving a sharp twist. He struggled a little then with a sigh said, "That was low."

"A ninja should always be on their guard." She repeated her sensei's words.

"Yeah, yeah. I've heard that one before."

She could hear Temari chuckling as she walked up to the pair.

Hinata continued, "This wouldn't have taken nearly as long if I had used my gentle fist."

She let go of his arms and got off his back to stand by his sister. Konkuro rolled and hopped into a standing position.

"I'm going to go wash up by the river. And privacy is always welcomed." She smirked at Konkuro when she saw the humor in his eyes. Gathering fresh clothes she headed to the river a small way from the camp hidden behind lush trees. Walking by the river triggered flashes of her and Neji battling. Throwing her into the river was a good move. She must have looked like a fool. Now that she thought about it, it had been a rude awakening. But then again she would have done the same if she saw herself give up like that.

She stripped her clothes in a hurry and waded into the cool water. Using a scrubbing pad she washed away the grit and grim that had accumulated. All that sand had crept into places that she thought impossible to reach. It was…unexpected to say the least. After a thorough wash she floated there, enjoying the sounds of water flowing by.

_There are way too many things to worry about. When this is all over I swear I'm going to take a long bubble bath. _

She day dreamed of a nice soothing bath that smelled like cherry blossoms. But when Neji entered the tub with her, the graceful balance she has sustained while floating disappeared. Water swam up her nostrils, cold and uninvited. A wrenching cough escaped her.

She hit her forehead a couple times with the absurdity of it all. Seeing that there was now no more reason the stay in the water she waded out to dry herself off. Hinata dressed in a hurry to avoid all thought processes. Trying not to think she slipped on her black ANBU uniform along with the silver armor. She threw her clothes in the bag and walked swiftly back to camp.

"You still don't know who I am?!"

"I know you're Gaara's sister." came a sheepish voice Hinata knew all to well. She couldn't help running and as soon as Naruto came in sight she yelled, "Naruto!"

Naruto's head snapped up with a huge grin on his face, "Hey Hinata!"

A thud sounded when she slammed into him. Without pause, Naruto lifted her up and swag her in circles.

"I missed you." She said happily.

"Not more than I missed you! Man, when they couldn't find you during your mission I was about to drop my post. Did you get the ointment I sent you?"

"Yes I did, and it was unnecessary! I can take care of myself you know." She laughed.

"Oh, Hinata I almost forgot! I brought a present for you." He said proudly.

"Another one?" The grin on her face was wild with excitement.

"Yep and even better than the last!" He reached into his pack pulling out a scroll. He opened it and set it on the ground. With a couple hand signs the scroll activated revealing two bowls of ramen. On each bowl were the tell tale signs of his beloved Ichiraku ramen shop.

"Ramen," Hinata laughed, "thank you Naruto." She said as she pulled him into a hug.

"See, I told you she would like it Shikamaru!" he called.

It was then that Hinata looked at Naruto's team members. She saw the laid back stance that was Shikamaru's signature, and smiled. He was such a creature of habit. It wouldn't surprise her one bit if he said something like, "troublesome" or "this is such a drag", or something that had to do with females. Shikamaru really was fun to be around. It was obvious why Temari liked him so much. Then, her eyes locked on the last face she expected to see here.

"And just why didn't I get a welcome like that?"

"Genma," she said happily noting the senbon bobbing in his mouth. Letting go of Naruto she moved swiftly to Genma's opened arms.

"So I heard you ran into some trouble. Are you alright?" his voice was low and full of concern.

"They were able to get the poison out so that I won't be in pain but I haven't been quite cured. The illusions may come back. Tsunade will need to take a look at me."

Genma's brows furrowed, "Then we'll just have to get this done quickly, yeah?"

"Agreed. And you owe me a drink, remember?"

"Ah, you are correct at that, however it is not me who owes the drink. If I recall correctly _you_ ran out on me." He smiled with a wink triggering a slight blush in Hinata's cheeks. He always had a way to bring out that embarrassing red in her face.

She remembered that night with some reluctance. Genma would have been great company, had not her father appeared wrecking the entire night. She wondered vaguely about what her father was doing now.

_Had they told him of my condition?_She would have to ask Genma later.

To rid herself of this train of thought she turned her attention to Shikamaru, "Is everything well with you Shikamaru?"

"I'm doing fine Hinata, thanks for asking. But this mission is going to be such a drag." Ha, her instincts proved correct.

"Everything is a drag to you Shikamaru," said Temari with amusement. Hinata could see that she was happy he was here.

"Well it usually is with troublesome females like you." He said with the same amusement_. _

_Predictable_, Hinata thought as the female comment slipped.

Hinata couldn't wait until the bantering pair figured out they were completely crazy about each other.

The Genma proceeded to start a fire as the daylight became scarce. All that was missing was Neji's team. While they waited, Shikamaru went over the layout of the base. Each ninja got a copy to study incase familiarity of the base was needed. It couldn't hurt to know where all the secret corridors were.

Apparently the base was surrounded by a thick stone wall with guard towers at each of the four corners. Thankfully there is a way to get to the inside of the base from outside the wall. Between the guard towers on the east side of the wall is a passage that can be activated with hand seals. The ground opens up into tunnels that lead to the basement of the base. This route was used for escape if the base were to be taken. No doubt the ANBU occupying it used the passage to get out.

"One squad will be entering through that passage, while the others go for a more direct assault. It's going to be troublesome. Our squads will need to be re-formed for the best effect. To make the new teams I need to get a better assessment of the other team. What are their names, beside Neji, of course?"

Temari answered quickly, "Baki and Matsuri. Baki was my sensei. He was at the Chunin exams all those years ago remember?"

"Yes and Matsuri was Gaara's apprentice, right?"

"Ah, you remember the mission, then."

"How could I forget? I had to came and save your ass that time." He smirked.

"I was handling it!" Temari said irritated.

Hinata smiled to herself, at their bickering. A sudden chill hit her when she realized that must be how she and Neji sounded. Uh-oh. But she couldn't think about that now she told herself over and over.

"Genma?"

"Yes?"

"Could I talk to you in private for a moment?"

"Anytime babe." He smiled.

The two excused themselves from the circle of shinobi and headed to the river where no ears could hear or eyes could see.

"I must ask about my father. I'm curious to know what he knows about…the situation."

"Ah, I wouldn't know anything about that. But I'm sure he knows enough. Being the leader of Hyuuga would qualify him to certain information. We _are_ in the middle of a war and your clan is the strongest in the village, so they are probably playing a big part. Is everything alright?"

"It's fine, really. I was just wondering if anyone told him of my encounter with the rouge ninja. He was against me becoming a tracker, so I was hoping no one had mentioned it. It would only worsen things between us."

"Why doesn't he want you to be part of the tracking unit?"

"Now that I'm stronger he doesn't want me to be killed. I'm the heir of the main household after all." Hinata made a sound of amusement.

Genma put his arm around her giving a slight hug.

"Don't worry about it, Hinata. Everything will right itself in time. Just focus on what's happening now, okay?"

"Yeah, you're right. Thanks, Genma." But she couldn't fight the uneasy feeling fighting inside her.

"No problem. Besides you're my girl, how could I stand you feeling bad?" he joked, then added in a more serious voice, "Really though, you can come to me whenever. Okay?"

"Of course. Uh, could I have a moment to myself?"

"Sure," With a squeeze of his hand Genma disappeared.

Things were starting to wear on her. She needed…something. What, she didn't know. She did know that her mind needed to be cleansed of these worries. There was only one way to do that.

She stripped off the long gloves and shoes. Meditation training, as she liked to call it, was best done without the weight of clothes, but to be safe she left them on. The water felt cool against her feet as she walked across it. She preferred to perform the deadly dance away from others, but there was no fear of anybody seeing her. The Byakugon was a handy tool and her new tracking senses would warn her if anyone were to draw too near. Reaching the center of the river, her body took the proper gentle fist stance nostalgically. With a released breath she began the graceful movements slowly, executing them with precision, until finally she became a blur. She couldn't help her mind from wondering to the private river behind her cottage. It had been her safe haven. She would have a nice reunion with it when things got back to normal. If they got back to normal.

It was then that she felt him. His chakra was distinct and always dominant. It always tickled her skin with its intensity. Her heart automatically jumped into a frantic skip. With great determination her movements slowed to a less then normal speed.

"You've improved." Neji said as he grabbed her arm, twirling Hinata around to face him.

"Did you doubt it?" she asked with amusement.

"Never."

"When did you get here?"

"Just arrived, my team went ahead to camp."

She looked down for a moment thinking of what Temari had said. Well, they were alone…

"Hinata you're blushing. Something wrong?" he asked softly placing his hand on her cheek. Her eyes met his. Falling into those eyes was nothing she had ever felt before. They were endless pools of silver, seeing what no one else could. Her breath came faster.

_I can do this. Just ask him. What do you feel for me? Yeah, that sounded okay. But saying it to yourself won't get you anywhere! Just do it!_

"Neji?"

"Yes, Lady Hinata?" She really loved it when he called her that. It made every bone in her body turn to mush. All the will power she had was being used to keep her standing.

"Um…" But just as she began to speak those relationship changing words, Neji bent his head down, lips grazing her ear, breath warm and inviting.

"May we discuss this later? Naruto is coming to get us and I would prefer to have this conversation alone. If you don't mind?"

He was right Naruto was coming._ How could I have missed that?_His loud footsteps should have been warning enough. The only thing Hinata had been aware of was Neji's presence so close she could smell the forest on him. It was absolutely intoxicating.

"N-No, I don't mind." Her voice did that stuttering thing she hated so much.

Neji dropped his hand from her face slowly trailing it down to her neck, then along her collar bone. His hand lingered there a moment, before disappearing, leaving her skin burning with pleasant warmth. His eyes never left hers, even when Naruto appeared.

"Hey guys! Shikamaru needs you so he can come up with teams!" Naruto called, walking across the water.

Hinata turned her head to smile at Naruto, "Thanks Naruto. Neji, you coming?" she said walking away trying to keep her tone light. It was much harder than she would have liked.

His smile said that he knew what she was trying to do. Luckily he complied, "After you of course."

_He practically kissed my ear!_ How she was still standing was beyond her.

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Hope you enjoyed it, theres more coming your way. Please leave a review if you can.

**troublesomefemale**


	16. Cloud Cover

**Here's the next chapter! Sorry i took so long to update; school was finishing up. Just a quick reminder i have re-written some of my beginning chapters. There may be some new scenes and new dialogue, but nothing that drastically changes the story. i can tell you, however, that they sound much better. And a special thank you to all of my fans, you guys keep the story going!**

**Appreciate it mates,**

**troublesomefemale**

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"Konkuro, and Genma will be taking the front, the northern side, of the compound

"Konkuro and Genma will be taking the front which is the northern side of the compound. The whole idea is to create large distractions. Temari and I will be taking the western wall because it is one of the longer sides and I can best manipulate shadows there." Hinata didn't miss the small hint of satisfaction on Temari's face at the mention of her and Shikamaru being together. Hinata hoped she would be so lucky. "Baki and Matsuri will be distracting the guards at the back of the compound. That leaves the most important job to Neji and Hinata." He said looking at them. Temari gave Hinata a look of encouragement, making the Hyuuga blush.

_Well I got my wish, now what am I supposed to do with it?_

"I have grouped you two together because your Byakugon will come in handy when you take the secret passage. The cloud ninja shouldn't know about it. It was left out of any blue prints of the base for safety measures. There's no telling how many guards will be down in the actual basement, but you should be able to locate them all with your eyes. The Hyuuga fighting style can also take out the ninja silently which also comes in handy. It is imperative that you be as discreet as possible." Shikamaru turned his attention to Naruto. "After Neji and Hinata enter, I need you, Naruto, to take the east wall. We don't want them to think we are avoiding that side for a reason. So you will accompany the Hyuugas to there."

"Yes! You can count on me! Believe it!" Naruto shouted excitedly, no doubt happy that Shikamaru was assigning him a solo mission. But Hinata suspected Shikamaru had done so because of the amazing amount of chakra Naruto possessed. He would no doubt be able to hold his own against the cloud ninja.

Hinata wondered what it would be like to finally do a mission with Neji. Considering the conversation they just recently had it would surely be difficult. Well, "conversation" was loosely defined; it was more her stuttering and blushing up a storm. It bugged her enormously that she wasn't able to ask her question.

Neji's eyes wandered to hers then, making her realize that yet again she couldn't help herself from drinking the sight of him in. Oh yeah, things had definitely gone way past complicated into down right wrong.

"The sooner we leave the better. The war so far is at a stalemate and if we can take back the base, the balance will shift in our favor. Tsunade would have sent more to help us out, but under the circumstances, we were the only ones available for the task. It's troublesome, but regardless I have to take responsibility for all of you. I don't know what lies in store for us, so each of you must look out for one another. I have every confidence that Neji and Hinata will complete the task successfully." He turned his attention towards them. "We will only advance when you have gotten inside the base. Everyone has their radios?" The ninja gave affirmative nods. "All that's left is to take inventory of your equipment."

Each of the ninja took out their weapons, letting Shikamaru take note of them. Hinata's butterfly companions began to awaken when the reality of the situation hit. It was up to Neji and her to make the mission a success. Of course Hinata had had many important missions, but none of this status, none that affected the outcome a war! The thought of screwing up in from of Neji nagged at her. If Neji was there to witness it, his past beliefs would be proven correct; whether he still believed them or not. A failure she would always be and it didn't matter that she tried her hardest because in the end it didn't pay off. Plus the fact that she would end up screwing over Konoha.

_I guess I better not mess up then_, she thought with irritation. These feelings always seemed to spark up when Neji was in the picture.

"Okay guys, let's…" Shikamaru wasn't able to finish. His eyes froze in shock as he fell to the ground. Hinata made a move to get to him, but her eyes caught sight of her other team mates with the same wide eyed expression.

A ripple went through the campsite, freezing her teammates. And with a blink of her eyes every one of them fell to the ground. Her eyes grew wide with shock, mouth opening with horror. She immediately slid into a familiar stance, activating her Byakugon. There was no sign of anyone. Not for miles around. When the coast was all clear she focused on each body. There was no sign of the blue chakra in any one of the ninja.

Though she knew all was lost, she ran to each body feeling for a pulse, any sign that her friends were still connected to the world. But her fears were proven correct with a finger to their necks. It couldn't be possible. Why had she not died also? Nothing made since. And before she could stop, a cry of anger, frustration, and even more so, confusion irrupted from her.

_Had the enemy gotten here? No I didn't see anyone! Think! Think! Think!_

_**Hinata…**_

Her thoughts of desperation were interrupted by a familiar voice. But she couldn't be sure. It was only a whisper, barely there.

_**It's not real…**_

"Neji?" Her eyes glanced down at his body but his eyes were hollow, showing no sign of life.

"Neji are you there?"

_**This is going to…**_

An invisible hand slapped her amazingly hard, knocking her to the ground. Gravity pressed on her and the next time she opened her eyes she saw the face she so desperately wanted to see. Neji was bent over her, cradling her in his arms.

"Hurt," He smiled sheepishly.

"A little too late." She muttered, relieved that she had succumbed to another illusion instead of a horrible reality. A slap she could handle. In fact she could have taken a punch. She was irked at herself that she wasn't able to see that itr was an illusion quickly enough.

Seven more faces popped into view above her. All with the same expression: relief. The attention was agonizing. Especially since she felt her tough points go down a couple notches. Not the impression she was going for. Thankfully, she woke up with a flushed face, instead of a river of tears flowing down her face.

"Wow, I'm really glad you guys are alive." She smiled. "But I guess the illusions are coming back."

"Whoa you saw us die?" Naruto asked wowed. Genma slapped him on the head. "Ouch."

"You are such an idiot." Genma said shaking his head.

"Unfortunately. But I'm fine now." She used Neji to pull herself up, "Come on we can't just stand here. We do have a mission to tend to. My condition can wait." She pressed. This mission wouldn't be a failure because of her. She had already told herself not to screw up and she was certainly headed that way if they didn't focus on the real mission. "Besides, I was able to hear Neji's voice and I definitely snapped out of it when he slapped me," she squinted in Neji's direction, "so I assume they are weaker now that the majority of the poison is out."

"Then if you're up to it we'll head out. You were only out for a couple minutes." Sikamaru said. She nodded her head.

Naruto came over then to take both her shoulders in each hand, sternly. "Are you sure you're okay? That scream was terrible to hear." He said with concern.

"Naruto get that serious look off your face. Don't worry about me. I'm tough girl." She smiled. Naruto responded by giving her an unsure look, followed by a smile. The next moment he was running over to Shikamaru to tell him something. Hinata had her guesses about what he was going to tell the lazy ninja. She realized then that Neji was standing by her without comment. She gave him a side glance to see him turn to her.

"Perhaps another one won't come until much later. Hopefully our mission will be completed by then. Tsunade will need to take a look at you." He said all this very professional. There was no softness or concern in his voice. For the first time, he hadn't asked her if she was okay. He respected her and treated her like any other ninja. Well, sort of. There were of course a few exceptions.

"Okay team," Shikamaru announced, "It's time to head out." He leapt off with Temari at his side and the others trailing behind him.

"Ready Neji?" Hinata asked with a smile, trying to lighten the mood a little.

"Are you?" He asked, a similar smile on his face.

She didn't respond, but instead gave him a nod as assurance and left with Neji hot on her heals.

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The ninja were settled in the trees near the complex. It had taken them an hour to reach the designated area, but now they were ready for attack. Adrenaline coursed through their veins.

"Okay guys, it's time to get to our positions. Radio in when you reach them. Be quick and efficient. There is little room for mistakes, so if you make one correct it quickly. Keep in mind how few ninja we have here so don't get your selves killed. It would be troublesome and make this job even more of a hassle for the rest of us. Make sure dying is the only option possible. It would be greatly appreciated." Shikamaru gave each person a glance, making sure they complied. There wasn't one person that didn't have a smile of some kind on their face. Hinata was glad Shikamaru was the leader of this mission.

"Got it Shikamaru!" Naruto whispered. "Let's kick some ass."

"I'm all for that," Genma chimed in.

This mission had no guarantees. And the fact that each person was trying to give it a humorous air was comforting. Their smiles lightened of the seriousness of the situation.

"Move out." Shikamaru whispered. The teams scattered, heading swiftly to their marks.

"Team Genma ready. Anybody else?"

"Hyuugas are in position." Neji reported.

"Naruto ready."

"Team Baki in position."

"Team Shikamaru ready. What's the enemy's status Genma?"

"We got cloud cover on both towers of the front entrance, about 10 per tower along with patrollers."

"Same here," Baki said.

"Cloud cover? You come up with that all by yourself?" Matsuri commented.

"Yes ma'am. It doesn't hurt to have some creativity on this mission." Genma fired back.

"Hold on guys." Neji said.

"What do you see Neji?" Shikamaru asked.

"There are…Cloudies," the joke was obvious in his voice, "sitting along the wall of the walk ways between the towers; five between the front towers and five between the back two. There are ten along my side and yours, Shikamaru. It seems they are quite prepared for an attack. I think we can get past them, but if you make a distraction the ninja on my side will act immediately. Are plan could be given away.

"Nice one Neji." Genma commented on the newly developed word.

"Thought I would try it on."

"Really guys?" Baki asked.

"Do you think you can reach the secret passage unnoticed if we don't attack?" Shikamaru reasoned.

Neji turned to Hinata to converse on the situation. She had her Byakugon activated and was surveying the area.

"If the timing is right I'm sure we can go without being seen. Our time frame is not wide but it is not impossible. Once we enter the building Naruto can attack. That's our best bet."

"Right then, Shikamaru. We'll contact you when we are safely underground. "

"Good luck guys!" Naruto whispered to them before leaping off to a better position.

"Okay Hyuugas, on your mark we'll attack."

"Right." They said simultaneously. They turned toward each other to discuss when they would need to make the run for the hidden entrance.

"When the two ninja are close to the towers we have he best chance. But it seems we will need-." Hinata was interrupted.

"Hold on guys. We've got some…fog rolling in. Looks to be about five ninja headed our way. Shikamaru and I are going to take them out. Wait for us to be ready Hyuugas." Temari said.

"Wow you guys have definitely taken this to a new level." Baki said with a chuckle.

"Love it Temari." Genma noted.

"Just helping with the creativity." She remarked.

The conversation dropped and silence slithered through each of the ninja. Temari and Shikamaru needed to carry out the kills soundlessly or another plan of attack would be required and it wouldn't be near as effective.

Apparently the worry was shown through her features.

"Hinata," Neji said looking meaningfully in her eyes with a smirk on his face, "calm down." There was humor in his voice, but his gaze didn't leave her eyes. He was thinking about something, she could see the battle in his eyes. That wasn't all his eyes showed, the liquid silver in them melted her ability to restrain herself. And he was so close. Before her senses caught up with her she leaned forward to press her lips slowly to his.

The slightest movement of Neji's lips on her's was enough to make her very aware of what she had done. She pulled back abruptly, eyes wide with horror. She immediately felt the need to explain her self. She had to say something, anything to take the flush from her cheeks and forget the whole situation.

"Neji, I-I I'm sorry I just- I mean it-." She wasn't able to finish because of the presence of an annoying finger that was seemingly always on her mouth. She smacked it away.

"Neji, would you please stop doing that? I'm trying to explain!" She whispered.

"Hinata, you are utterly absurd." And before she could voice her rebuttal he met her mouth with his in a sweet, blissful kiss. It was light, only a meshing of lips, but still way more then she had expected to receive from him.

Her fantasy had been fulfilled. The one where she was able to touch him, to be close enough to him to smell his mouthwatering scent. She could smell his masculine sweat, but also the night forest on him. It was intoxicating; she couldn't imagine a more appealing smell.

His lips continued to move against hers in a careful manner. When the warm, wetness of those soft lips left her mouth, she was hardly coherent.

He looked at her cautiously, almost as if he were waiting for her to say something.

All that escaped her was a small breathy gasp; the blush heating her face like never before.

Neji was smiling grandly.

"I recall that you had a question to ask me before, on the river. Care to ask it now?"

"Already answered it. Thank you." She said nervously.

"Was it the answer you were looking for?" The silver pools that were his eyes caught on a wild look.

It took her a second to gather enough sense to answer.

"Not quite sure at the moment. P-Probably." She took in much needed oxygen, then continued. "Since the success of this m-mission is depending somewhat on me I would like to re-group. Could we t-take a rain check?"

"Certainly." Neji responded with humor in his voice. He turned his face back towards the base, but Hinata could see that his cheek was lifted high.

She was breathless. She took her eyes off Neji and scooted away from him, so that his scent was not so concentrated.

_I just kissed Neji... Stop thinking about Neji. You still have an entire mission ahead of you and, if you don't recall, it could decide the future of Konoha!_

This realization helped her gain back some structure. There was a slight breeze that cooled her cheeks and hopefully cleared up the roses that decided to bloom there. But still she could not face Neji. She couldn't face the man whom she once despised and now had such different feelings for.

She kept her eyes straight forward and stayed away from Neji. Though she knew she wasn't so weak as to kiss him again, being further from him helped her focus on the mission. Thankfully he didn't try to start up a conversation, so she wouldn't have to worry about stuttering.

"The cloud ninja have been taken care of," Shikamaru reported. "Whenever you're ready Hyuugas…"

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**Thanks for reading and please review!! **


	17. Pursuit

**I want to thank all you for sticking with my story and your reviews. I'm sorry for taking so long to update, so without further delay here it is! Enjoy!**

There was static over the radio as Shikamaru finished speaking. All that followed was a moment's pause before the Hyuugas turned toward one another. No doubt there were some under tones of awkwardness about what had just transpired. And also no doubt their minds were stuck on their previous actions. But they had a mission and no matter what had just happened or what it meant there were more important things to attend to.

Unfortunately Hinata was not quite as recovered as she wanted to be. Neji kissing her was a very hard thing to put aside. She could see he was making an effort to forget it for a while as seriousness claimed his features. So she sobered up as much as she could and focused on the task at hand.

"The two patrollers need to be at the farthest ends of the walkway for us to get the best chance." Hinata said.

Neji gave a nod of agreement.

"Just as they are facing the ends of the way, we need to hit the wall. There we can hide in the shadows and activate the entrance."

"According to the map the entrance is a false bottom in the ground near the wall. You see it?" He had activated his Byakugan and indicated the point of penetration. Hinata did the same and immediately saw there was a tunnel that led under the wall. Her sight could only go so far; apparently Neji's was the same.

"That tunnel is supposed to lead to the basement kitchen, though I have no idea where we'll come up." He said.

"They're almost in position." Hinata whispered urgently. The two guards made their way to the ends of the walk way slowly. Which was a plus since the timing was a factor.

"Now!" She ordered.

Neji and Hinata took off running, making sure to keep low to the ground. They were able the reach the safety of the wall just before the two patrollers began to turn back. With their backs to the wall Hinata and Neji turned toward each other letting out the breath they had both been holding. Neji preformed the seals to activate the entrance. It gave away with a small grunt but nothing loud enough to alarm the guards. A small hole appeared between them with a robe ladder extending into the dark depths.

Hinata made a move to go down first, but was abruptly stopped a hand on her chest. Neji looked at her with serious eyes.

"I should go first. Wait for my whistle."

She looked at him with confusion and then curiosity. But before she could inquire as to why he should go first he had descended into the hole. Was it a guy thing or did he not think her competent. Hinata decided to tuck the question in the back of her mind for later. Her thoughts were brought to the present when a soft whistle sounded.

After reaching the bottom the escape door closed leaving them in darkness. Even with their eyes they were unable to see as well in the dark. So they relied on other senses to scout the area and quickly realized the passage was void of ninja. Neji tried to make radio contact.

"Shikamaru. We've made it inside." A moment passed; there was no response. Finally there was slight static over the ear piece but Shikamaru's voice wasn't audible.

"I can't hear him." Neji told Hinata.

"Yeah, me neither. How are we supposed to know when they'll attack?"

But the answer came simple enough.

"RASENGAN!" A loud explosion came just after Naruto's yell.

Hinata couldn't help but release a whisper of a laugh. "I think they've attacked."

Neji smirked. When they caught eyes all playfulness left their expressions. The urge to step closer to him and mingle her body heat with his was almost overwhelming. Her breathing picked up a couple notches. The fact that they were completely alone didn't escape her attention either. It would be so easy to close those few inches between them. Never had her senses been so aware of Neji.

"We should go now." He said softly, breaking her trance.

"Of course." She replied turning away. She couldn't help the heat flooding through her body. Partly because of Neji, but also because of the shame she felt. This mission was more important than her hormones. And though she reminded herself of what she must do, it was hard to ignore feelings such that she had never experienced before. They took off running down the tunnel staying as far from each other as possible, obviously aware of what might transpire it they were to touch.

At the end they were met with another step ladder. This time Hinata didn't trouble Neji with going first and let him lead. She could see him perform the seals and press his hands to the tunnel's ceiling. Immediately after, there was burst of dull light. Neji carefully lifted himself out of the opening. A moment later he signaled her to join her. She crawled out and was surprised to find herself surrounded by food in a small space. It was a pantry. The entire room was a little smaller then a bathroom. The light came from under the door that led to the kitchen.

They looked through the walls to see there were three cloud ninja seated at the table in the center. They were busy discussing strategy and looking over maps. Hinata turned to Neji.

He whispered almost inaudibly, "Once I slide the door open, attack quickly and quietly."

Hinata nodded.

Neji grabbed the side door and slid it open without a sound. Hinata sped out and jumped on the table thrusting her gentle fist toward the head of one of the ninja, killing him instantly. She saw the surprised faces around her but before they could administer a sound, much less an attack, she shot out her other hand to silence another. Neji carried out his deadly attack in an instant to the last man.

Hinata looked through the wall to see the rest of the occupants of the basement. There were two rooms in the basement and now the kitchen was clear. In the other room were ten ninja.

"Half and half?" Questioned Hinata.

"Yeah, go!"

They ran into the room automatically activating their special jutsu.

"Eight trigrams, 128 palm!" The Huugas said simultaneously, both surprised they were doing the same jutsu. With grace they took their intimidating stances.

Though the cloud ninja tried to attack it didn't matter; they were already caught in the line of fire. Hinata and Neji shared one last glance before initiating the attack. In only moments they had every ninja on the ground. Some of them were tougher than the others, trying to perform hand signs. Neji quickly took care of them. One of them slashed out at Hinata tearing the flesh on her leg. She replied with a quick flash of a blade of chakra. The man gasped grabbing at his throat but all was lost, he realized, as darkness covered his vision and his last breath escaped. She ripped a piece of cloth away from the ninja's shirt to tie up the wound.

She turned to Neji, meeting a pair of eyes she had never seen before. It was as if he didn't recognize her.

She turned away from his gaze, "Come on." She made her way over to the door that lead to the stairs. Looking into the stairway, she found it to be empty of enemy ninja. It was a good time to radio in to Shikamaru, if he could be reached.

"Shikamaru the basement is clear." Static interrupted her report.

"I still can't get him. We might as well proceed to the upper level." She said without looking at Neji.

"Yes." He said simply.

Hinata went up the stairs first, irked that he didn't realize how professional she could be. It was no guess that he didn't expect her to be so thorough.

The stairs were lit with only the light coming from the basement room. Hinata took swift measured steps and finally reached another sliding door. She couldn't see anyone out in the hallway. Carefully she slid the door open.

"Where are all the guards?" Neji questioned incredulous.

Just as he said this, the floor above them fell through producing two ninja caught in a tussle.

"Ah! Idiot!" The voice was familiar, along with the four yellow pony tails. Temari rolled around with the assailant trying to gain advantage, when finally her kunai hit the mark and the guy turned limp beneath her.

"Where have you guys been?" She said jumping up to her feet. "We couldn't contact you." She took off running. The Hyuugas trailed her.

"The reception was bad down in the basement," Neji replied, "What going on?"

"The leader of the base fled with seven of his junkies. Shikamaru is already in pursuit but he'll need back-up. He said for you guys to accompany me. The rest of our squad is busy securing the base. "

"Has anybody been injured?" Hinata asked.

"Not fatally, but we are outnumbered, so I can imagine some of us leaving with more than a few battle scars." Humor was apparent in her voice.

They raced out of the compound to find Genma with a guy's head under his arm.

"It's. About. Time," Genma grunted, executing a punch after each word, "We've got this place covered, hurry after Shika!" Finally he delivered the last blow, rendering the ninja unconscious, if not dead.

They sped past him, through the entrance, and into the waiting trees.

"RASENGAN!" Naruto's voice echoed through the forest, followed by a loud explosion.

"He sure doesn't hold back." Temari noted.

"I doubt there will be much of a base left," Neji commented.

"How far away are they?" Temari asked, inquiring Shikamaru's position.

"Little less than half a mile." Hinata replied, seeing the enemy ninja with Shikamaru on their heels. As she evaluated the distance, she also caught sight of something out of the ordinary.

"Did you see that, Neji? She asked.

"I was about to ask you the same thing."

"Could someone clue me in? I don't have an awesome Kekkei Genkai." Temari remarked.

"A leaf just passed through the leader's ear, which means-." Neji started

"It's an illusion." Hinata finished.

"Well that's just great," she contacted Shikamaru, "Hey Shika, the Hyuugas have just established the leader is an illusion."

"How far behind are you?" he asked.

"Not far, we should catch up in a matter of minutes."

"Hyuugas, I need you to locate the real guy, Shenji. He has severe scarring on the left side of his face and his weapons pack on his right thigh. Temari, you catch up with me. I need your assistance." Shikamaru's breathing increased and the clink of metal sounded over the radio. "I've engaged; Temari hurry up." He murmured something unintelligible, but if Hinata had to guess, it sounded like "a drag" statement.

"Got it! See you later!" She said to the Hyuugas. She winked before she took off to aid Shikamaru.

Hinata and Neji came to a complete stop on the same tree branch. The task they were just given seemed close to impossible. The military leader could be long gone by now. But then again, this was Hinata's area. It was a test to see just how good her tracking skills were and if she really could call herself a tracker.

"Scan the area for anything disturbed, a scratch on a tree, broken branch, anything." Hinata directed. She focused on every tree she could, looking everywhere.

"If I was running away…I would head in the direction closest to my allies. In that case, he would be headed north toward lightening country or maybe even into fire country where there may be back-up," Hinata murmured to herself. She jumped on the branch to the right slowly making her way north, scanning for evidence of passage.

"There! Neji, this way!" She said excitedly. She jumped forward to further investigate her findings. It was a skinny branch, broken at the end and no longer than her hand. Genma had taught her that it was a common trace left behind by ninja when they were moving swiftly through the forest. In this case, since it was so far out of the way, it could only be the leader, Shenji…or an enemy ninja. Either way it was better than nothing.

Hinata sped off north after the cloud ninja.

"What did you find?" Neji asked when he had caught up to her.

"Broken branch, he must be this way." She said with confidence. Neji was smiling, she could see, when she caught sight of his cheek lifting.

"Why you're smiling?"

He looked over at her with a glint in his eyes and shook his head. Hinata's forehead creased with confusion. _Whatever that means_, she thought. But the confusion was soon chased away when she came upon another sign of, hopefully, Shenji.

"We're on the right trail. You see that cluster of leafless twigs on the tree branch ahead?" Hinata pointed out.

"Yes."

Hinata was elated. All they had to do now was catch up with him, "Let's go faster." They pushed ahead, increasing their speed to the highest it could go.

Ten minutes at that speed was all it took for them to finally catch sight of Shenji. Just looking at him made Hinata's chest swell with pride, she had been correct. Her training had paid off. But now she had to eliminate an elite ninja. Great.

"He has to know we're here, but just in case we'll flank him on either side. Keep a good distance." Neji said. They were still far behind.

Hinata gave a nod of agreement and began to contact Shikamaru, "Target has been located." She knew he was engaged in battle but in a moment a ragged voice came over her ear piece.

"Keep him from reaching his allies; kill him if you get the chance. He is a danger of no use to us." Then he grunted, under the weight of an attack.

"Roger."

Hinata looked over at Neji catching his eyes.

"Let's get this done quickly," Neji started, looking at her meaningfully, "There are some things I need to take care of."

Hinata blushed a little at the comment. With a determined nod of her head and a last look at Neji, she moved over to the right side. Neji did the same, moving further to the left.

Shenji noticed the two leaf ninja with a sharp turn of his head. It was plain on his face how irritated he was. He thought his diversion had worked.

Neji was the first to respond, flinging a kunai at the man. It was easily deflected but brought him to a stop.

"The Hyuugas? Konoha sure is taking a chance," Shenji noted as he turned to face them. "I have a mind to take you both in, since the previous attempt failed." He smirked.

"And we have a mind to kill you." Neji said simply.

The sun that had just risen was being blocked by a number of clouds. It seemed a thunderstorm was about to hit.

"Let me guess, Neji and Hinata, right?" They answer was clear by the look of hatred on their faces. The cloud ninja were responsible for the death of Hinata's uncle; Neji's father. "I can see a fight coming, but there might be something I can offer you in order to change your minds. You see I'm pressed for time and a fight is quite tedious."

"We're not making any deals." Hinata said.

"Ah, ah, ah," Shenji taunted, "Perhaps this with be worth your while. All I need is a Hyuuga and the entire cloud troops will back off and leave Konoha alone. But this time there will be no tricks, I don't want some Hyuuga defective locking in the information I need." He said almost angrily, looking at Neji. "Why don't you join me and end this war?" He asked Hinata. The sky darkened dramatically with his words. Rain drops sprinkled down slowly, building up before they were unleashed.

"No," Neji growled fiercely, as lightning flashed in the clouds.

Shenji ignored him and focused on Hinata.

"I believe Neji had just answered your question."

"I thought as much. How unfortunate, now I'll have to bring your _dead_ body back for examination."

Neji leaped through the air in a rage, showering shenji in shuriken. Suddenly the sky lit up, sending a bolt of lightning down on top of him. Hinata was close enough to push him out of a direct hit but he was still struck on his shoulder. They flew back a few yards from the target.

"He's manipulating the weather. I can feel the chakra in the air." Hinata said hastily.

"He must have activated the jutsu earlier. Damn, that hurt." Before they could carry on, another bolt was headed their way from above. Luckily they were able to spot it with their Byakugans first and avoided it.

Hinata took off trying to dodge the bolts as they came down. Her focus was on Shenji all the while. She pushed the blades of chakra from her palms in order to slice or impale him. He blocked with his kunai skilfully and flipped before she could bring her other hand around. Neji was on the other side of him ready to capture him in a trigram, but as Shenji was flying through the air he used a hand sign to send lightening down toward Neji.

With a blindingly fast rotation the lighting was deflected. By then Shenji had recovered a safe distance away. With a quick mumble from him, the sky was set ablaze. Hot light energy began to rain down. The Hyuugas had no time to react and were both struck dead on, sending them to the forest floor.

Hinata couldn't believe the pain but she forced herself up trying to keep her screams inside. It was no use to show that kind of weakness. She saw Neji was getting up as well, gritting his teeth against the pain. Immediately, Hinata jumped back up into the trees where her opponent was waiting with a mass of lightning bolts. She forced herself back into this twisted game, slowly making her way to Sheji. Every once in a while the Hyuugas would be able to make contact with the ninja, but soon after he would send down a vast number of lighting strikes simultaneously, making them jump away or get singed. Being close combat fighters, it was hard to get close long enough to land a blow with their Hyuuga style. The battle was more about staying clear of the lightning, than anything else.

Some of these bolts would appear right in front of Hinata making her spin away. In her haste to avoid it she would spin right into another one, knocking the breath out of her.

As one sped down she flipped backward, but doing so allowed her foot to be caught in the middle of the bolt. She waited for the pain to come but it never made itself known.

She looked up to find Neji who apparently had seen what happened; his eyes were set with confusion. It dawned on her. It was an illusion. In fact most of this had to be an illusion. The fakes were used to make them head in the direction of the real ones. It was a diversion.

She jumped out of range of another and headed Neji's way. Once she was at his side she whispered the secret she had discovered. With a slight nod, he headed away from her and toward Shenji. Hinata did the same as well, circling around to take the back end of him. In a risky move Neji sped right through a bolt of lightning several yards from Shenji. His luck held when it turned out to be an illusion. Not having to dodge it gave him a clear shot at Shenji.

"8 trigrams, empty palm!" He shouted, as burst of chakra connected with the cloud ninja sending him right toward Hinata who had currently entered her own jutsu. Shenji must have made some last attempt to kill her because as she fell into 8 trigrams, 128 palm she was singed by a streak of lightning. She felt her nerves twitching uncontrollably but thankfully she was already locked in the jutsu and began to jab the unsuspecting shinobi.

She hit him with all the precision she could muster. After hitting him straight on the heart she felt his body go completely limp. As he fell to the ground so did she, continuing to hit him. Neji was in front of her when they reached the forest floor. He was prepared to help her when all of a sudden her hands lashed out to hit him in the arm.

Neji looked at her in shock, as she began to attack him, locking him in her jutsu.

"Hinata! What the hell are you doing?!" Neji yelled, fending off her attacks.

"I'm sorry! I can't stop! Help me!"

"Just quit the jutsu!"

"I can't!" She screamed at him. "I think some of my nerves were damaged during that last lightning strike!"

"Are you kidding? If this isn't the most ridiculous thing-," Neji was cut off by Hinata's sudden laughter.

She could barely contain herself as the idiocy of the situation set on her shoulders. He looked at her in astonishment and began to smirk.

"I thought you had gotten all your anger out on me that night at the river, but I guess I was wrong." Neji smirked as he blocked off another attack.

"My subconscious seems to have taken over." She laughed, almost whimpered. Her chakra was depleting, zapping away her energy.

Neji's tone was light but concerned, "How much longer can you go?"

"I'm not sure," Hinata said honestly, "Our radios are fried. There's no way to contact anyone."

It was as if their comrades had sensed their need because a minute after the comment, Shikamaru showed up with Temari.

"Oi, what are you two doing?"

"Shikamaru, use shadow possession on her!" Neji yelled. A long shadow shot out from him and connected with Hinata stopping her movements.

"Thank you," Hinata answered, out of breath.

"Anyone care to explain the situation?" Temari asked.

"When she got struck by the lightning her nerves became uncontrollable." Neji supplied.

"Oh. Lightning?"

"One of his jutsus," Neji answered.

"We still have a problem," Hinata continued, "I don't think I can stop. My nerves keep scrambling. I think someone should hit me. Maybe then my body will be shocked into control?"

"What if I try to send my chakra into your body? I figure the less harm that comes to you the better." Neji suggested, smiling.

"Like you did before, when I was in a genjutsu." Hinata mused. "It couldn't hurt to try."

"Which is exactly the point," Neji commented.

"Temari, make sure you're ready in case this back fires." Shikamaru told her.

"Right."

"Go Neji." Hinata said.

Neji thrust his palm forward, sending a gust of his chakra into her, not unlike his empty palm technique. When it reached her body she could feel her nerves begin to calm down, but unfortunately they couldn't completely relax due to the fact that it was Neji's chakra inside her. His personal essence was flowing in her now. Before, she had never really thought about it, but now that they had kissed, it was hard not to see it that way.

When her eyes opened she realized she had been knocked on the ground and was now staring at the sky. Slowly she sat up to find everybody exactly where they were previously.

"I'm good." She smiled softly.

"If everything's okay here, Temari and I will head to the compound. Our teammates have cleared it, so you two take your time." Shikamaru stated. "Here is my radio; I guess yours were knocked out. You've done an excellent job Hyuugas." He smiled lightly and headed away.

"Don't take too long. I'm sure there will be some celebrating tonight." Temari gave them a smile and a suggestive look in Hinata's direction before taking off.

Neji looked down at Hinata and offered her his hand. Taking it she lifted herself up, but neither of them expected to end up in yet another compromising situation. Perhaps it was the last strike of lightning that had reversed the polarity of her headband making it magnetized, but whatever the cause, it didn't prepare either one for this. With a quick ding of their head bands Neji's head ended up in Hinata's chest, right between her breasts.

"Oh wow, this is awkward." Neji mumbled against her.

Hinata silently cursed herself for wearing her headband around her neck. She could feel the heat rising to her face and beads of sweat beginning to form.

"I-I'm going to reach a-a-around and untie yours, s-s-so don't move." With trembling hands she reached behind his head to untie the cloth. When the strands fell beside his head he lifted away from her, a sheepish look on his face. She couldn't meet his eyes, even after she plucked off his hitai-ate and handed it to him.

"Maybe you should get that looked at." He told her, slightly amused.

She stepped apart from him giving a nod, "Y-yeah." She looked away into the trees. The heat on her face wouldn't recede no matter how hard she tried.

_My body is such a traitor_, she thought.

"I wonder how everyone else is." She said to change the subject.

"Let's go find out." He replied, tying on his hitai-ate. "And it's probably a good idea to put your hitai-ate away. You know, for uh…safety reasons." He finished badly; clearly uncomfortable.

Hinata put it in her weapons pouch, but as she did so each weapon attached it's self to the metal of her hitai-ate.

_Gah!_

* * *

**Thank you for reading and please leave a review!! I love to get them! **

* * *


	18. Dreamland

**I want to apologize for taking so long to update, but fret no more! The story continues… And once again thank you for all of your support, even though I took so freaking long to update!**

* * *

The trip back to the base was a difficult one. Hinata's cheeks dulled after the incident but the color never truly left. Every time her mind began to forget, it would turn right around and smack her in the face. And she would remember that, yes, Neji's face had just been in between her breasts. She cursed him for having such an effect on her. But really the whole thing made sense. It was only a matter of time before Neji walked in on her naked or something equally embarrassing. Now that she thought about it, embarrassment was the dominant feeling she had around him, along with excitement of course. She would never be able to figure out this game they played. She wondered if Neji was using a cheat book because he sure was handling it very well. What with his sly comments and ready answers.

_So infuriating! Can't I just have the upper hand for a second, _she thought in vain.

Every now and then Neji would glance over at her out of the corner of his eye and Hinata always caught it, seeing as she was doing the exact same. There wasn't much talking between the Hyuugas. Neither could figure out what to say, given the circumstances, so the journey was long and quiet.

Hinata tried to go as fast as her body would allow. The less time spent alone with Neji the better. Well, maybe instead of "better" she should say less intimidating because she constantly felt the flutter of butterfly wings every time he was near. She needed to get inside Neji's head, but more than that she needed a break.

_A long one. But things never turn out the way I want them. _

She sighed hopelessly, making Neji turn toward her, a question in his expression. But Hinata pretended not to see and focused on her surroundings, which was quite remarkable. Every tree a mile from them had the tops cut off.

"Temari." Hinata muttered shaking her head. "And she said Naruto was excessive."

That earned a smirk form Neji. She bent down to tie the cloth tighter around the stab wound in her calf. As her fingers worked industriously, she thought back to the battle with Shenji. The battle she had just won…with Neji's help of course. But she didn't mind because in the end it was Hinata that killed Shenji. Finally she had done something to boost up her reputation, not to mention self-confidence. Even though the victory doesn't compare to others, for her it was enough. It was something she could claim. Something else she could use against her father.

_Ha!_

* * *

It was midday when the Hyuugas reached the base. The rest of their teammates were busy searching the bodies of the dead ninja.

"Hinata! Neji!"

They both turned to see their blonde headed friend coming straight for them. Hinata didn't even have time to suck in a breath before Naruto was there hugging her and swinging her around in a circle.

"Naruto will you put her down, she could be seriously injured." Genma commented.

Naruto immediately stopped and set her down in front of him, "Are you okay Hinata? Is there anything wrong?" His brow furrowed with concern.

She smiled at him, "Nope I'm fine, just a scratch on the leg-." She was cut off by Genma's body. He gave her a tight squeeze then set her down.

"Naruto was taking too long," he explained with a smirk, "So I heard you kicked major butt."

"I guess you could say that." She smiled despite herself. "But Neji was mostly the reason for that." She looked over at Neji who was exchanging high fives with Naruto.

"Nice, Neji." Naruto said.

"Thanks. Apparently you didn't do so bad yourself." Neji replied eyeing the compound. One of the building's walls had a huge hole in the middle of it.

"Yeah, I guess I got carried away."

"Hey guys," came the lazy voice they knew all too well, "We've got a lot of bodies to search so let's get to it. I know it's a drag but they might have some important information. Hyuugas, if you have any major injuries see Matsuri. The rest of us have already been treated."

They all gave a nod in agreement and got to work. Hinata went over to Matsuri so she could get her leg healed.

"Hey Matsuri, can you give me a hand.?" Hinata asked, pointing to her leg.

"Sure Hinata, just keep still. This should only take a second."

In a matter of moments her leg was back to normal. She thanked Matsuri and paired up with her since Neji didn't seem to need any medical attention.

Hinata hated that these men had to die because of a stupid vendetta, the main reason for this war.

_It was all about the Hyuuga clan ability. They either have two motives_, Hinata thought. _To wipe us out by learning our secret or somehow control us._

Either way it didn't really matter because they wanted revenge more than anything it seemed. Now that the base was recovered Konoha should be able to regroup the ANBU and advance in the war. Not only that, but Gaara sent as many reinforcements as possible. Hinata hoped that would be enough. They _are_ the two greatest ninja villages after all.

"Byakugon!" Hinata looked through the cloth of the pockets on the vest of a man, searching for any information, or maybe even an explosive. You could never be too careful. But in this case there was nothing to worry about. The guy was clean.

The day went on like this for some time, and by the end of it the ninja could feel the exhaustion claiming their bodies. None had found anything, but there were a couple bombs ready to activate. Luckily, they were easily taken care of. It was twilight by the time they finished.

After the last of the bodies were checked, they sealed them in scrolls so they would be preserved. If the war ended and a treaty was formed, the Cloud would get their ninja back.

"Hey guys, I'm calling a meeting down in the basement, so hurry up," dragged Shikamaru's voice.

The ninja make their way down the basement in silence. The victory high started wearing off a little.

"Okay," Shikamaru started when the all arrived, "This is the deal. We have to hold down fort until reinforcements arrive tomorrow. Which means we'll all have to take patrol duty-." He was interrupted by a loud pop. All eyes turned toward Genma who had just opened up a bottle of wine.

"What?" He asked innocently. "I found it in the kitchen."

"Wow," sighed Matsuri.

"You think that could wait, Genma?" Baki asked dully.

"Sure, go ahead Shikamaru." Genma replied taking a sip from the bottle.

He gave Genma a wry smile then continued, "Anyway, two shifts. The first shift is from 8pm-1am and the second from 1am-6am. Back up should be here by then. Meanwhile there is a lot of paperwork to do so…"

"I vote Shikamaru!" Konkuro yelled, followed by all the other ninja. Paperwork had to be the worst part about being a ninja. Every single detail was needed, so whenever it was possible to skip out on it, you took it.

"You are all such a drag; man this is going to be troublesome. You do realize that you have to fill out individual reports too."

There was a slight grumble among them, but it was one of understanding.

"Fine, but that means I don't have to take a shift. Neji, Naruto, Baki, and Temari will take first shift. That leaves Hinata, Konkuro, and Genma for the second shift. Matsuri you can take a shift if you feel up to it, but I know you'll be especially tired from all the healing you've had to do."

Hinata eyed the red-head. She stood tall but there was unmistakable exhaustion, behind those eyes.

"Thank you Shikamaru, I'll take a shift as soon as possible."

"Don't push it too hard. I highly doubt there will be another attack on the base. The rest of you feel free to do whatever until first shift starts."

"Well I don't know about you guys but I could definitely use a bath." Naruto said giving a significant sniff toward his arm pits.

"Oh no way, I am so getting one before you!" Temari argued.

"Actually, no one is because the water pipes have been destroyed, _Naruto_…" Konkuro trailed off.

Naruto gave a sheepish look, ducking his head.

"I guess it's a trip to the river then," Neji supplied.

"In that case, ladies first. Come on girls." Temari smiled.

"Hey-." Naruto yelled at Temari, but was cut off by Konkuro's arm around him neck and a hand clamped over his mouth.

Temari and Matsuri gave Naruto a fiery glare until Konkuro said, "Oh no it's fine, you girls go ahead." Then in a lower voice, "Naruto shut up, you're going to get us killed."

Hinata smiled at the situation, enjoying the humor that was desperately needed. It amazed her how much power they had over the guys. She didn't doubt that she could use her power like that too, but it looked like Temari and Matsuri were handling it.

Hinata felt the familiar warmth pool in her cheeks and shot Neji an anxious look, thinking about their previous shower history. As soon as her eyes snapped up to look at him, she regretted it. He was trying to hide a hint of amusement as his mouth struggled to stay neutral.

_Oh no, he can't be thinking the same thing!_ Hinata looked away before her face could flush further. She was saved by her female teammates as they beckoned with triumphant smiles on their faces, having just one the quarrel.

The girls hurried own to the river, ready to be rid of all the dirt and grime, but not before grabbing a spare change of clothes and a bar of soap. After stripping down they waded into the cool water.

"This is no hot shower, but it will definitely work." Temari smiled, drifting under water for a moment.

The girls smiled at her.

"Thanks for healing me Matsuri. Who taught you? I didn't realize that you had medic skills."

"No problem. I learned from one of my friends on the medical staff. I figured it would be a nice thing to have; it really comes in handy. Besides, I need to be as well rounded as possible since I'm Gaara's apprentice. He expects it of me and I don't want to disappoint." She said with a slight longing in her voice.

By then Temari had resurfaced. "Speaking of Gaara…" Temari lifted her eyebrows.

Hinata look on with curious eyes.

_Gaara?_ Hinata smiled and looked at Matsuri expectantly.

Matsuri flushed a little on her cheeks, "I don't understand what you mean Temari. I'm just his apprentice."

_Man, her control is amazing! I would be as red as a tomato and stuttering like an idiot by now, _Hinata thought with envy.

"Mmhm, yeah." Temari looked over at Hinata and lifted her hand to her mouth to stage whisper, "She's got the hugest crush on my brother and Gaara's almost completely unaware. That or he doesn't know what to do." She dropped her hand and looked at Matsuri, "Just give him some time; he'll get it…eventually." Temari winked.

"I honestly don't know what you're talking about." Matsuri denied. Her eyes strayed everywhere but the girls.

"Leave her alone Temari," Hinata commanded with a smile.

"Yes, I suppose you're right. There are more pressing issues like _Neji_…"

Hinata knew it was coming; she practically walked right into that door and out the window.

"Crap." She muttered.

Matsuri's head snapped up at that. "Neji? I thought you were interested in Naruto. You guys seem so close."

"We are but not that way. I got over my crush with him a while ago; we're friends now. Actually, I consider him my best friend."

Matsuri pondered that for a moment, "But Neji seems so serious."

"Serious?! Are you kidding Matsuri? Gaara is the most serious person in the world!" Temari commented, exasperated.

Matsuri ducked her head. "That's different," she mumbled.

"Right, well while you're in denial, I'll be talking to Hinata about Neji," Temari accused. Then she turned her attention to Hinata, "What happened?"

"Nothing." Hinata said quickly, no way was she going to mention the kiss or even the _other_ incident. She could just imagine… _"Oh yeah, Neji's face was in my chest, haha."_

_The secret dies with me_, Hinata promised darkly.

She did try to recover, though. "We didn't really talk, but we did see half the forest torn to shreds. Nice, Temari. Way to ruin something beautiful." Hinata accused. She was secretly smug for turning the conversation around.

"Gees Temari, you really need a new jutsu," Matsuri teased.

"Hey! My jutsu is perfectly fine! I'm mostly in the desert anyway, so it works." Temari fired.

"Not lately," started Matsuri, "If I recall correctly, you spend an awful lot of time in Konoha." Matsuri pointed out.

"I _am_ the ambassador for Suna." Temari hedged.

"Oh come on, we all know it's because of Shik-." Temari threw a rock at Matsuri's head officially cutting her off.

Hinata stifled a giggle. She'd better put an end to this before someone got hurt. Since no one was willing to talk about it, they were at an impasse anyway.

"Uh, you know the guys might want to take a bath too, so maybe we should hurry up."

"Sure," Temari responded, still glaring at Matsuri.

The girls went to work scrubbing their bodies until they were completely clean. They dried off, got changed and headed back to the base with their thoughts full of certain men.

* * *

When the women arrived at the base they found most of the men dosing in the basement. One in particular had the bottle of wine in his hand, his shirt off, and was passed out on the couch. Shikamaru was at a table studiously filling out reports. The rest were chatting quietly.

"Where's Naruto?" Hinata asked immediately, when she realized none of the present ninja were blonde. That's when she heard it. A ripping snore came from behind the couch where Genma was splayed out. She stepped behind it to find the blonde ninja flat on his back, dead to the world. A smile spread across her face at the sight of him. Naruto was definitely nice to have around; he added a bit of normalcy to a situation.

She looked over at the other guys to gage their reaction; apparently they had been listening to it for a while since none of them gave any notice.

"Why don't you guys go get cleaned up, we can hold down the fort while you're gone." Temari suggested.

"We should take advantage of the situation. It's not likely the Cloud ninja would attack anytime soon, as Shikamaru said." Baki reasoned.

"Sure, sure. I'm all for it." Konkuro said lazily. "But good luck getting those two up," he said gesturing to the sleeping ninja, "Genma's already drained about three-fourths of that bottle and Naruto…well look at him." As if to make his point Naruto snorted in his sleep and rolled over.

Hinata shared a glance with Neji. She remembered the last time she tried to wake him up. It turned into a tickle frenzy. She pursed her lips and squinted at Neji. No way was that happening again.

"Hey, I told you he punched me last time I tried to wake him," Neji defended himself.

"I'll get him up." Temari stated determined. She smirked as she pulled the fan from behind her back.

Konkuro gave a soft chuckle as Temari pulled the fan open and swung it forward, sending a gust of wind toward Naruto.

"Wha-Ahh!" Naruto shouted, while traveling through the air. He did a somersault and landed on his feet, a kunai popping out of his sleeve and settling in his hand.

"What the hell!" he yelled.

"Yea man, I was sleeping," came a muffled voice. Temari's fan not only knocked Naruto across the room but it also tipped the couch over on top of Genma. He flipped the couch off and stood up. His headband had fallen off near Hinata and he squinted through sleepy eyes at her.

"Hey what are you guys doing here? Didn't you just leave?" He asked pushing a hand through his disheveled hair.

"No Genma, you just fell asleep. It's time for you to go clean up." sighed Matsuri sleepily.

"I don't suppose any of you ladies would like to give me hand…?" He trailed off.

"Dude, you do realize you're asking my sister too right," Konkuro interjected. He wrinkled his nose, "Gross man."

"Hey she's not my sister, and plus I'm not accountable for her actions. I merely asked the group of ladies present." He smirked.

Meanwhile, Shikamaru turned his head slightly, a glare in his eyes. Hinata was extremely amused by this especially since Temari had seen it too. A smug expression was currently on her face.

"Genma, you're drunk. So stop it. Now let's get out of here _before_ I hurt you, or one of your _ladies_." Neji commanded.

Naruto was still standing in the middle of the room fighting off another round of sleep. Hinata walked over to him.

"Go ahead Naruto, weren't you complaining about getting a shower first?"

He gave her a sleepy smile and a kiss on top of her head, "Yeah, I guess so. Thanks Hinata."

She couldn't help grinning as she watched him leave. When she was younger, she'd have given anything for the attention Naruto was giving her at the present. Now that she had it, it was not the way she had expected it to be. There was no confusion that he was nothing more then her best friend. Funny how things worked.

Her eyes flickered to Neji as he walked out the door, the last to leave. But his expression was nothing she expected. His face was hard and cold as if chiseled out of stone; his eyes like ice. He turned to leave as soon as she met his eyes. She was rooted in place in a state of shock. She'd seen that look before. It was always in place when they were younger and he had despised her for being part of the main branch.

_But he was fine a moment ago! What was that?_ She thought astonished.

She looked to Temari and Matsuri but their attention was pre-occupied. They hadn't seen it and Hinata wished she hadn't either.

The guys were quick with the baths not wanting to dwell. Hinata figured it was the intense exhaustion because after they returned all of them fell out for about an hour. Hinata found it difficult to sleep despite her tiredness. Neji's face haunted her behind her eyes lids, so she stared up at the ceiling trying very hard not to blink.

Finally 8:00 came around and the first shift left for watch duty. Neji left without a word and not even a glance. The sudden mood change was tearing at Hinata so badly she could hardly fathom something worse. It was as if nothing had changed and he was still the hateful boy he'd been years ago.

She rolled off the basement floor silently trying not to disturb the other sleeping ninja. Isolation was the best medication for now, so she set off to find a room of her own. In a base that large it didn't take long for her to find a room. By the way the sheets were strewn about, the previous occupant left in a hurry. Briskly, she fixed the bed into something almost decent. Hinata laid gently back, hands behind her head, and stared up at the ceiling.

_Just when things were beginning to look up, something happens and it comes crashing down. I don't even know what I did. Usually I have a pretty good idea when I do something wrong but, this is beyond me…_

Somewhere in the middle of her rant her eyelids drooped and she was enveloped in darkness.

* * *

When Hinata next opened her eyes she knew immediately that she was dreaming. The sky above her was gray and heavy with clouds. Tall grass tickled her cheeks as the wind blew softly across it. Her movements were slow as she sat up, not wanting to end the dream. The ground was so solid around her and the colors so vivid she knew it was an illusion. So far things seemed peaceful enough so she didn't question it. She could even smell the rain pooling in the clouds waiting to be released.

It was right after she closed her eyes that she felt it. His chakra was so familiar she could sense it even before his hands curved around her shoulders. The breath against her neck was soothing, but brought a blush to her cheeks. Her face continued to redden when warm lips pressed ever so softly against the base of her neck and moved upward to the corner of her jaw.

_Oh what the hell_.

Turning around, she saw that Neji was on his knees behind her and matched his position fluidly. Looking into his eyes, she saw none of the hostility she was scared she might find. Instead it was desire, even more apparent when a smirk stretched across his face. His fingers lifted to trace her lips, then brushed a strand of hair away.

Butterflies were raging inside her, refusing to be settled. Hinata could slow neither her heart, nor the breath pulsing so strongly out of her chest. It was almost embarrassing how loud her breathing had become. And then she remembered it was an illusion and giggled. The whole thing was absurd, but here she was with Neji, all alone, and nothing to worry about…except maybe her sanity.

Neji grinned, before his lips met hers. She grabbed at his shirt to pull him closer, then tangled her hands in his long dark hair. Before she knew it they were falling backwards. Hinata fell against his chest, laughing hysterically. Neji eyes twinkled with humor, and he resumed crushing his mouth to hers. This kiss was different then the one they shared behind the bushes. It wasn't hesitant at all, this time both were fully committed.

Neji swept his tongue along her lower lip asking for entrance. Hinata opened with a whisper of breath, when suddenly he was pressing her down into the grass with his solid weight. Every line of his perfect body was against her, and so in sync it was unbelievable. Neji's hands roamed over her sides, and up her taught stomach. Hinata followed in suit, moving her hands under his shirt, learning the lines of his torso. She took her time feeling every muscle, and finally her favorite part, the lines on either hip accentuating his muscles.

His mouth moved away from hers to kiss along her jaw, making goose bumps rise on her flesh. When his lips returned to her waiting ones she gave a sigh of pleasure. Yes, there was nowhere else she would rather be. Neji pulled back to look in her eyes. She felt a surge of his chakra run through her, sending tingles throughout her skin. Hinata closed her eyes, in happiness.

When they fluttered open again, Neji was still on top of her, but the scenery was surprisingly different. The grassy field was gone along the gray sky and replaced with a more familiar one. In the darkness she could feel the press of a mat under her. But surely she must be dreaming if Neji was there, she reasoned with herself. But this Neji did something the other did not. He spoke.

"Hinata?" He asked in a confused voice. The realness of the situation closed in on her. This was no illusion. Her cheeks flushed crimson.

"What are you doing, Neji?" She asked softly, hesitantly. The same expression of confusion crossed his face, and then was replaced with noticeable pain. It only lasted a fraction of a second, until his expressionless mask slid into place.

"I came to wake you for the next shift, but you…," He hesitated, "attacked me. I had to restrain you. I guessed you were in an illusion, so I…let some of my chakra slip out."

"Oh," Hinata said looking away, "Thank you. It was an illusion."

_But not the kind he's thinking of_, she thought.

Neji stared at her a moment longer trying to find an answer to an unspoken question, but gave up and lifted himself off her, getting to his feet in a swift motion.

"The others are already at their posts," he said dully and left without one look in her direction.

_Well damn_, she thought sadly.

**

* * *

**

Please leave a review! There will be another chapter sooner than you think! And just so you know the story will be coming to a close in the next few chapters so be prepared! Thanks again, Troublesomefemale.


	19. Breaking Point

**Hey mates, I want to thank all of you who reviewed and of course all that have kept up with my story! I really appreciate it! Without further ado here is the next chapter!**

* * *

Hinata made her way out of the compound in a daze. She took up post on the southern wall away from her teammates. How could such a perfect moment turn to crap in such a short period of time? It had to be a record. Even now she could feel the tingle on her lips left over from the illusionary kiss. It puzzled her as to how she could still feel it. It was just a dream after all. Regardless, she wished she could feel it again with the actual Neji. But that possibility wasn't likely based on the current situation.

Then her mind flew to their first kiss. Had that meant nothing? Was it just in the heat of the moment? Because it was more than that for Hinata. Maybe he was just humoring her. But now it was as if nothing in the past months had meant anything. He was cold and hard as steel, just as he had been in the past.

Am I supposed to start hating him again? Have we come full circle? Even as she thought it she knew it was impossible to hate Neji. She cared for him and that wouldn't change, no matter how much her heart was breaking.

"Yo, Hinata!" Genma shouted, snapping her out of her spiraling thoughts. She turned around eyeing him with Konkuro at his side.

"So, you forgot to mention that _you_killed Shenji. What's that all about? Don't get all modest with me. I want details."

"Yeah, Neji told us you kicked ass." Konkuro put in.

Hinata gave a mental wince at his name, but moved her lips into as much of a smile as she could manage.

"It was a team effort, but yeah I did him in with my 8 trigrams, 128 palm. He was toast." She threw that last part in for their benefit.

"That's my girl." Genma said proudly.

"Well, I didn't learn from the best and not pick up a few things. Thanks to you I was able to track him." Hinata said to flatter Genma.

"Smooth Hinata." Konkuro smirked, picking up on her attempt at sucking up. Genma just chuckled.

Hinata sighed, thinking about her problems. "Don't you two have some patrolling to do? Those no good Cloud Ninja might be planning to infiltrate. In fact they could be here right now. I don't think you want that on your conscience." She pushed them away with a hand to their chests.

They both snickered but complied.

Hinata was thankful to be alone with her thoughts again. It would have been nearly impossible to keep up the façade. She wanted to wallow in self pity alone. But most of all she wanted to know what the hell she did wrong.

_He can't even look at me_, she thought sadly.

So she stayed there, hopelessness eating away at her. Even when her shift ended she remained. Neji never came to her. Neither did anyone else, whether they could see past her weak mask or were simply oblivious. She was roused from her thoughts when the sound of approach neared.

"Byakugon!" Immediately she surveyed the area spotting a huge contingent of leaf ninja. Hinata sighed in relief at that fact. She would finally be able to return home, but as to how much rest she would get was questionable. She may be needed elsewhere.

She ran along the wall to the north side of the entrance and hopped off to meet the arriving ninja. Shikamaru was already present and talking to the leader.

"…We terminated the leader along with the other ninja occupying the base. Nothing was found after searching the bodies, so they've already been sealed in the death scrolls."

"Thank you sir. We'll take it from here, but Hokage Tsunade did ask that Uzumaki Naruto stay behind to help run the base for a while." By then all of Hinata's teammates were assembled.

"Granny Tsunade wants me to stay here? Man, now I'll miss all the action." Naruto grumbled.

"On the contrary Naruto," Shikamaru started, "Once things are assembled here, you'll be back in the field in no time."

"Sure, sure." Naruto smiled crookedly.

Shikamaru turned his attention to the squad leader, "We'll be heading out now."

"No problem. Squad 15, 26, and 11 head inside to clear the damage and…" The leader continued.

"Alright guys, move out." Shikamaru ordered to his squad.

Before Hinata left, Naruto grabbed her in for a hug.

"You've really done a great job Hinata! I just wish I was there to have seen you in action." He smiled.

"I'm sure we'll get to have other missions together."

"Yeah, I'll have to talk to Granny Tsunade about it." He muttered in thought. Hinata laughed at that.

_Telling the Tsunade what to do? Naruto never learned. _

"I'll see you back in Konoha, Naruto. Be careful, alright?"

"Sure thing!" With a quick squeeze and a bye to the rest of the squad he headed inside to receive his orders.

Hinata noticed Neji didn't seem quite as warm in his goodbye with Naruto and when she met his gaze his eyes hardened. Again he turned away from her and disappeared into the trees.

When the ninja were a couple of miles from the border of Wind and Fire Country they parted ways with Konkuro, Baki, and Matsuri. Temari had other plans.

"Hey I'm Suna's ambassador," she said falling back on the much used excuse, "And this is a time of war, so I need to be in Konoha. Tell Gaara that's where I am. He'll agree anyway."

Sure, most of that was true, however, Hinata couldn't help but share a look with Matsuri, her eyes full of blatant understanding. Hinata also spied a hint of satisfaction on Shikamaru's face. Of course that was gone instantly. He returned to his routine "what a drag" expression in no time.

The journey back was filled mostly with silence and the occasional bickered between the lazy leaf ninja and the sand sibling. Neji never said a word, except the bare minimum and Genma was off in his own world, chewing away at the senbon in his mouth. Hinata wondered how it was possible that his mouth wasn't riddled with holes.

It took them the rest of the day and part of the next to finally catch sight of the welcoming gates of Konoha. Hinata sighed in relief. She hoped to escape to her cottage for a while and maybe think about what to do with Neji.

_If there's anything I can do_, she thought bitterly.

The ninja reported to the Hokage's office first and were met with appreciative words from Lady Tsunade.

"Job well done. It could not have gone any more smoothly than that. The recapture of the base turned the tides in our favor. You're success in that mission brought us closer to victory. Unfortunately, I'm going to need you're paperwork as soon as possible. You will, however, be given a few days rest. So far there is no dire support needed, but as usual be expected to be called on at anytime. You're dismissed."

"Yes ma'am," They replied in unison.

Neji didn't hang around, obviously not wanting any company on the walk to their compound. Hinata walked slowly, trying to ignore that. But she did decide that she would tell her father she was home in the morning after turning in her report.

* * *

The night was quiet while Hinata worked on her report. A light patter of rain sounded against the roof, dragging her eyelids shut by each minute, until finally she passed out on her couch.

Her eyes fluttered open at the crack of thunder near her cottage. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes she got up off the clock. It was one in the afternoon.

_That can't be right_, she thought walking over to the sliding door, which led to the backyard. Sure enough the sky was covered in heavy gray clouds blocking all sunlight. The wind whipped furiously blowing Hinata's hair in a whirlwind around her. So far the rain had stopped, so Hinata took that precious time to turn in her awful paperwork.

The air was fresh with the lush scent of rain. Hinata filled her lungs with it, being reminded of that wonderful illusion with…

"Stupid, no good ninja." She muttered. "Always wrapped up in you. Can't spare one moment to tell me what I did. Well fine, we can just ignore each other. I'm not making the first move. Heck no!" She this point she was a few yard's from the Hokage's door, but stopped at the sound of a familiar voice.

"She did what!" Her father cried in astonishment. "She killed Shenji?" He murmured after a moment.

"Yes, she did. Your daughter has become a fine shinobi and it's time you came to realize that." She answered in a respectful tone.

"But she's the Hyuuga heir, there's too much danger."

"Listen Hiashi, I cannot control what goes on in the Hyuuga Clan, but Hinata is a valuable asset to the ANBU tracking unit. If you were to deny her this position, we'd loose an edge over our enemies."

"Lady Tsunade…" Hiashi said in a defeated voice.

Hinata decided it was time to intervene and knocked on the door.

"Come in."

Hinata entered, pretending to be surprised at seeing her father there. In a business like manor she bowed to Tsunade and then her father.

"Father. Lady Tsunade, I have my report."

"Thank you Hinata. I was just telling your father of your accomplishment on your recent mission."

Hinata glanced at her father and blushed a little. She knew Tsunade was just making it seem like she was better than she was. It was hard for her to look either one of them in the face.

"Thank you Lady Tsunade, but I merely did what I was asked. Any other ninja would have completed the task just as thoroughly."

"Regardless, you did a fine job, especially since you are a new ANBU."

Hinata bowed respectfully, "May I be dismissed?"

"You may." She replied.

"Hinata," Hiashi started hesitantly, "I have a short mission to attend to, but I would like to speak with you when I return." His voice was soft as he spoke.

"Of course father." She said surprised. "Excuse me."

It began to drizzle on the way back to her cottage and Hinata was thankful for it. She needed the calming rain to soothe her raging thoughts. The turning point with her father was so shattering she couldn't wrap her head around it. Maybe they could finally be closer. That is if he was going to let her stay on the tracking unit. But the unsureness of his voice was enough to convince her. They were on new ground and it would take time before they could be like a father and daughter should be. Though that kind of relationship was somewhat of a long shot. They were Hyuugas after all. That stubborn gene was bound to get in the way.

When she reached her cottage it was pouring. She hopped through the door and walked briskly to the sink to relieve the water soaking her hair. It streamed out as she twisted it.

_If only all my problems could be so easily solved._

Throwing her hair into a bun, she walked over to the pantry to pull out a bowl of instant ramen. She loved it almost as much as Naruto, but she didn't have the body to burn all those calories like he did. Having that demon inside him sure was a plus when it came to eating what he wanted. After placing the bowl into the microwave, she went off to change out of her wet clothes. The only thing it seemed she owned was an assortment of black ANBU shirts, pants, and shorts. Grudgingly, she slipped on the form fitting long sleeve shirt and a pair of shorts. When she heard the beeping of the microwave, she walked slowly to the kitchen, enjoying the isolation. She let out a sigh thinking of someone she'd actually like to be with now.

Meanwhile a pair of frustrated eyes watched her from a far…

* * *

He knew he shouldn't be doing it. In fact, his self-loathing increased each minute he didn't look away. Why he continued to torture himself he couldn't understand. Wasn't his life fine before he decided to make amends with her?

Neji watched as the familiar lines of chakra move in the direction of the kitchen. The bowl of noodles sent a small burst of anger through his system.

_Of course she still loves Naruto! Her face lights up every time she sees him._

But inside he hoped it wasn't true. And the only way to find out was to ask…

_Shit._

* * *

Hinata woke to a sound of a thunder clap. The rain beated against the cottage angrily. It was still the middle of the night, but Hinata felt re-energized. She smiled as she stretched, making her joints crack pleasantly. Everything seemed perfect. With a few exceptions, but she had finally achieved her goal. She proved herself to Hiashi, her superiors, and Neji. Taking down Shenji gave her a whole new confidence. And then she remembered that Neji probably didn't care about her accomplishments. Hinata tried to tell herself that she would be okay without his approval or companionship, but if she was being completely honest, she was in denial. That unreal moment with Neji in the grassy field was the happiest moment in her life. Pathetically she hoped the illusions would stay with her. She even debated whether or not she wanted to be cured of them. The slightest chance that another one like that could come along was enough to question her initial choice.

_So ridiculous_, she thought.

But it saddened her to realize that the friendship or what ever they had was gone, over, done with. Before she could continue she heard a loud crash against her back door. She jumped at the sound, but went to see what it was. The band slipped from her hair leaving it disheveled falling down her back. Another crash sounded, however, this time it sounded more distinctly like a knock. An obnoxious one. The knocking persisted becoming louder and louder. Curiously she activated her Byakugon. She gasped in shock and threw her door to the side to find a soaking wet Neji, anger plain on his face.

"N-N-Neji." She choked out. He stared at her with furious eyes, not speaking. Just as she was about to ask what was wrong his anger made itself known.

"How can you push me aside so easily?! Is this the new Hinata? Why did you kiss me behind the bushes?" He shouted one question after another barely pausing for a breath.

Hinata was caught off guard, her mouth open in shock.

"W-What?" She managed to say.

"It's a simple question." He snapped, and walked back out into the yard to help contain his anger.

"B-Because, um…" Her stuttering was worse than ever.

He didn't wait before firing the next question, "Who was kissing you in you illusion?! Tell me the truth!"

"W-Why does it matter?" She was starting to get frustrated. "A-And how did you know that, that I was kissing someone?!" She was shocked that he would know such a thing.

"Because you were kissing me while you were in it! I thought you were awake!" He could see the shock on her face. His rage was so wild his Byakugon began to activate.

"It was Naruto wasn't it? I've seen how you look at him!"

"N-Naruto?" Hinata didn't think he could catch her off guard anymore but low and behold he did it again.

"I knew it, so it's back to the old days. How could you play me like that if you felt this way about him?" His Byakugon was fully activated now giving him a truly terrifying look. Hinata had never seen him so desperate with anger. But her hands weren't trembling with fear, no; she was pissed off. She stomped out into the pouring rain and slapped him across the face.

"How dare you make assumptions! That's all you've ever done! And guess what? You're wrong again!" She slapped him again. "It was you in my illusion, you stupid idiot!"

Hinata cringed away, when his hand snagged a handful of her hair. Now she was truly scared. She couldn't fight him off even if she tried. The rain beat harshly against them while Neji held them there. He searched her eyes staring into the silver depths until finally he found the answer he was looking for.

Hinata gave a small whimper as his hand twined further in her hair, but it wasn't because of pain. She needed him. She needed him to except her, to see her as someone important, to need her as much as she needed him.

And he did.

His mouth crushed hers furiously twining his tongue with hers. Hinata was so taken aback she gasped for air, but didn't pull back. Instead she pulled him closer. Her illusions hadn't done him justice.

"Neji." She sighed when her mouth was free. His hands crept down her back to rest under her backside. In one swift motion he yanked her up. She complied, wrapping her legs around his waist. Relentlessly he pursued her mouth leaving little room for thought. Somewhere in the back of her mind she felt his body moving. Abruptly, the rain slowed to little less than pouring. They were under one of the many trees in the yard.

Hinata couldn't concentrate; her mind was in a whirlwind of havoc, confusion, ecstasy. She felt herself smiling against Neji's lips. Soon she felt the solid back of the tree against her back. Neji moved his mouth along her jaw to her earlobe. He licked it tauntingly, then kissed further down her neck. It was then Hinata opened her eyes, and only then that she realized they were under her favorite cherry blossom tree. When his mouth came back up to hers, she threw everything she could into that kiss. So much that he sighed in the back of his throat.

He set her down then, but only for a moment before picking her up bridal style and carrying her into the cottage. Neji carried her all the way to the bed, lips locked with hers the entire time. She dropped her on her bed and swiftly moved on top of her. Again he kissed up her jaw to stop at her ear.

His breath was heavy, "Hinata." With a slight twist of his hips he stole her breath away. His hands raked down her sides to grasp her hands and pull them above her head. She vaguely realized they were soaking her bed but the thought didn't linger as he kissed along the base of her neck, and then after he removed her shirt, along her collar bone. Her hands pulled free from his grasp to twine in his long hair and pull his mouth back to hers. He groaned deep in his throat as her hands roamed the muscular plain of his stomach under his shirt.

"I'm sorry Hinata," Neji whispered against her lips. Hinata placed a lingering kiss on his mouth before responding.

"I think I might forgive you. But just so we're clear. Naruto. Is just. A friend." She said, stressing each phrase with a kiss to his lips.

"Mmm." He hummed.

"Neji? At the base, why did you treat me so coldly?" Hinata murmured.

"It was seeing Naruto kiss you on the head and always being able to touch you. You seemed so happy around him. I mistook that for romantic affection. An over reaction on my part. And then when I realized you weren't purposely kissing me at the base, I lost it. As you can see." His mouth pulled into a wry smile.

"I'll have to make you angry more often if you react this way," she teased, making him smile. Then his face became so heart breakingly endearing she could barely breathe.

"I-I want you Hinata. More then you'll ever know."

Her breath sped up, racing with her heart. Tears threatened to come out, prickling at the corners of her eyes. She reached up to brush her fingers along his curse seal; it was uncovered.

"Neji," She murmured, before his mouth enveloped hers.

* * *

Hinata was curled into Neji's side his arm around her. They were fully dressed in their still damp clothes from last night. Well almost full dressed. Hinata couldn't help but remove Neji's shirt. After all, it was a fair trade since hers had also been removed. Her eyes fluttered moments after the rain had stopped. She curled tighter into his side, smelling the rain of last night all over him as well as herself. She tilted her head upward to see his face. His eyes stared back, those silver pools capturing her in their infinite depths. Several minutes passed before she could speak.

"You're really here, right? I'm not in a genjutsu?"

He smiled, "No, you're here with the real me. Speaking of which, who was the best kisser. Was the illusionary one better?"

"Well…he didn't yell at me first," she smirked; "Actually he didn't say anything at all…" she trailed off in thought.

"Hinata…" Neji groaned, impatient to hear the answer.

"He was nothing compared to you. Not even close."

"Nice to know," he said amused.

"Would you like a round of applause?"

"Maybe later," he chuckled. He ruffled her hair. "I wonder what Hiashi will think." He mused.

"Actually, I don't think we should push him too far. I think he's starting to warm up to my new occupation."

"I see your point, perhaps we should wait then."

A moment passed. Hinata rolled, so that her chest was pressed against Neji's. She brushed her fingers across his forehead, "You're seal's not covered." She remembered from last night.

"Why should I hide from you? You already know my secrets." He paused for a moment. "And of course, you've already seen every inch of me."

"Neji!" She smacked his shoulder, but couldn't help giggling a little. It seemed he would never let her forget that fateful day when she walked in on him toweling off.

Hinata tucked her head under Neji's chin to whisper in his ear.

"Neji, I want you…more than you'll ever know." She said, repeating his words.

His hand crept down to pull her face to his.

"Then, I'll be yours Hinata." Neji said before placing a sweet, sweet kiss upon her lips.

* * *

**Please leave a review!!! There will be a short epilogue following, so keep a look out for that. And make sure to take a look at my profile for any upcoming story information. I should have that for you soon.**

**Thanks,**

**troublesomefemale**


	20. Epilogue

**Okay guys. I know it's been months but here is the epilogue!! Just a little something extra for my fans!!!**

* * *

Hinata's eyes opened slowly taking in her surroundings. Smiling slightly to herself she hopped out of bed to fix a cup of tea. As she waited for the water to boil, her thoughts traveled to the stormy weather they had two days ago. She remembered the pouring rain and the solid tree at her back But mostly she remembered Neji's rough mouth and his strong arms around her. Unfortunately, that memory among others were the only things to keep her company because Neji had been call away for a short mission. Hinata was a little peeved with Tsunade, but Neji said it was no big deal and that he would be back soon. She understood of course, being a ninja was unpredictable and if Tsunade needed him then he is what she'd get. But like yesterday Hinata hoped he would return soon. Today, however, she did have something to occupy her time and that was to go and see the Hokage. Neji made her promise.

The tea kettle whistled bursting her train of thought. She popped the lid and poured the water into the cup with the tea bag. Her thoughts were so occupied with Neji that she didn't see the cup tip over.

"Ouch, ouch! Ah! That's hot!" She squeaked, as tea sloshed on her.

_Ugh, the sooner he gets back the better_, she thought shaking her head.

After finishing her tea she headed to her closet and donned her standard black pants and shirt. She took notice of her jounin uniform hanging in the closet and wondered how it was possible she had come this far. Smiling slightly she closed the door and made her way to the Hokage's office. The weather was a startling contrast to the past couple days of rain. There wasn't a cloud in the sky and the sun was shinning brightly. In the village people seemed to be going about business as usual. But if you looked close enough you could see the worry lines of war on people's faces.

When the red building came into view she hoped the Hokage was in a good mood. But her hopes were dashed when she passed a flustered Kotetsu and a battered Izumo. She knocked hesitantly on the Hokage's door.

"Come in!"

Hinata entered ready for whatever mood Tsunade might be in and shut the door behind her. Luckily, Tsunade seemed to be fine or at least over whatever had just transpired.

"Neji said that you might stop by Hinata. This is about the poison, is it not?"

"Yes ma'am. So far the illusions have ceased but they come back periodically."

"Not to worry, I had sent for you medical records from Suna. I was able to produce an antidote," holding out a bag she continued, " You are to take this pill twice a day for two weeks and you should be back to normal."

Hinata took the bag from her.

"Thank you Lady Tsunade." Hinata replied with a smile. She was amazed that Tsunade already had the antidote. Hinata turned to leave, but Tsunade began to speak again.

"Oh and Hinata," Tsunade started busying herself with papers, "I believe Neji is due back tonight." Hinata couldn't hide her amusement. Tsunade was more perceptive then she realized. But she was pleased that Tsunade was trying to be discreet.

"Thank you for the information."

*Down the hallway she caught sight of a long haired blonde and a massive Ninja coming her way.

"Good afternoon Ino; Choji." She said politely. Each of them offered a greeting and disappeared into the Hokage's office. She hadn't seen those two in a while. But that thought was quickly overcome by the news of Neji's return.

* * *

When Hinata reached her cottage she didn't stop to go inside but continued on the backyard. She had planned to train but found that the weather was too enticing to ignore. She found herself lying on top of the water soaking in the warm water and dreaming of possibilities. At least she was practicing chakra control. Hinata smiled.

She felt his presence even before his feet slapped against the water. She opened her eyes slowly and saw him standing next to her.

"Tsunade said you'd be back later tonight, you're early." Hinata mused, closing her eyes.

"I could come back in a couple hours; I was planning to take a shower anyway." He turned and walked away. Hinata's eyes flashed open and she ran across the water to jump on his retreating back.

"You knew I was going to do that." She whispered, nuzzling his ear.

"Yes I did." He whispered playfully back. Hinata loved this new light-hearted side of him. Neji pulled her around so that they were chest to chest, staring into mirror images of their eyes.

"You're getting me wet." He smirked.

"Payback for the other night. I had to get soaked just to knock some sense into you." She pressed herself closer. "It's the least I can do to return the favor." Their breath mingled until she found resolve in his eyes and he pressed his mouth urgently against hers making her hands tighten in his hair. She hummed with pleasure.

"Tsunade gave me the medicine today." Hinata said when her lips were free.

"Finally, we can be rid of those hallucinations. I'm tired of worrying about competing with myself.

That made Hinata smile, "There was never any competition… the imaginary Neji won." She was trying to hold in the laughter. Neji's mouth pulled up into a devilish smile

"Then I guess I'll have to out do him."

* * *

**There it is mates, I've finally finished it. I want to thank all of you for sticking with me on my first shot at writing! I really appreciate your reviews and I'm hoping you'll leave one more and tell me how you liked the fanfic!**

**Thanks mates, **

**troublesomefemale**

_*I also wrote this epilogue to give you a sneak peek at the next characters I'll be writing about. Check out my profile for more info!!_


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